Twilight
by Arrathir
Summary: The Awakening is over, but now the Keepers of Mana must deal with an conflict so great it threatens to tear the Multiverse apart.
1. Turning The Page

Well, I'm back.

Welcome to "Twilight" the sequel to "The Awakening" and the final arc in the plotline of the return of the Keepers of Mana. I'm very excited about this new story since now that the Keepers are awakened they will face new perils as they continue to regain their power and figure out who is behind the sinister plot to stop them.

For those of you who've been with me since "Magic: The Gathering vs. Yu-Gi-Oh!" or "The Awakening", welcome back! I hope you find this story up to par with its prequels, perhaps even superior. For those of you joining me, welcome aboard! You're in for a Hell of a ride. Since a lot has happened over the past two stories, let me bring you up to speed.

Millions of years ago, five very powerful summoners existed. They were called the Keepers of Mana and each controlled one of the five colors of mana. A fight broke out, which turned into a war and all the Keepers died. Flash forwards a couple million years: A young man named Arrathir Quinn stumbles upon an alternate dimension and discovers he is the reincarnation of the black Keeper and he must awaken the other four. After many trials and duels, he finally manages to awaken the five Keepers, but the Keeper of White Mana, Chihowaido, is persuaded the Keeper of Black Mana, Chikuro, wants to kill all the other Keepers, so he leaves the group and joins with another Planeswalker to stop Chikuro.

This is a bare-bones version of the story. If you want to get all the details, go ahead and read the two prequels.

You're probably all tired of hearing me yapping, so I'll leave you with a definition:

**twi-light**

**1. a. **The diffused light from the sky during the early evening or early morning when the sun is below the horizon and its light is refracted by the earth's atmosphere.  
**b. **The time of the day when the sun is just below the horizon, especially the period between sunset and dark.  
**2. **Dim or diffused illumination.  
**3. **A period or condition of decline following growth, glory, or success: in the twilight of his life.  
**4. **A state of ambiguity or obscurity.

Source: Thefreedictionary

And now, on with the fic.

-Arrathir

I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my own characters.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1-Turning the Page**

_The Multiverse is changing. I have felt the mana shift again. As the Keepers complete their awakening, we draw closer to universal equilibrium. This brings me hope and I have faith the Keepers will succeed in their quest before it is too late._

_Hang in there, Keepers of Mana. You can do it!_

_

* * *

As the mana of the Multiverse gets ever so closer to equilibrium, I can't help but feel anxious. If not for the unexpected and pleasantly surprising turn of events, this probably would have already come to pass. The success or failure of the entire plan depends on him._

_If I fail, they'll be no living with her after this._

_

* * *

_ Shiv: a small continent northeast of Jamuraa, the supercontinent of Dominaria, the central planet of the Dominia plane. Shiv was home to some of the most fascinating, but dangerous creatures of the planet.

The tribal lizards-folk known as the Viashino hailed from Shiv. At some point in history, some viashino had migrated to Jamuraa, but all those who knew of the Viashino associated them with Shiv. As well, Shiv wasn't nicknamed 'The land of dragons' for nothing. The Shivan Dragons and their cousins, the Viashivan Dragons inhabited the rocky mountains of Shiv. Powerful and ruthless, theses creatures ruled over their territory and brought swift and brutal justice upon those who would dare trespass on their land.

In the heart of the Shivan Cordillera, a massive mountain range that cut through the desert, existed a valley surrounded by tall peaks. By an inconceivable improbability, the valley was filled with a lush forest; an oasis in this otherwise dry and rocky desert.

In general, humans tended to avoid Shiv, first because the continent was set in a deep-ocean ring of fire that fuelled the coastal water to a near-boiling point.

Few apart from the Viashino knew how to navigate these treacherous waters. Next, Shiv was far from hospitable, what with the heat, dragons, and Viashino raiders. However, the four figures seated around the flickering light of a campfire under the canopy of trees in the valley were far from ordinary humans.

Two of them looked human in appearance, but there the resemblance stopped. The first, a tall man with fire-red hair and a beard could, at a moment's notice, transform himself into an enormous wurm, capable of toppling over a tree with a swipe of its powerful tail. He wore a leather breastplate and had wrapped his forest-green cloak around him for protection against the night air. His blue eyes had the tired look of one who has seen many battles, but still held a spark of life within them.

"So, tell me more about these weapons you created from mana," asked Khell Dracos.

"I honestly have no idea how I created mine," said one of the other figures. The speaker was a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair. Two black-tipped, brown fox's ears were perched on top of her head, a telltale sign of her half-demon blood. They twitched every now and then, responding to changes in the air and sounds. A brown fox's tail poked out of a slit in the back of her dress and was curled around to rest on the woman's lap, warming her hands. "They just appeared out of nowhere," continued Eva Pezrokov.

"The demon was in control when he created mine," said another figure. He appeared to be a man in his early 20's, the most noticeable oddity being a pair of gray rat's ears where a normal human's ears would be. A thin rat's tail hung behind him, twitching occasionally. "What kind of weapon did I have again?"

"I've told you a dozen time, Arrathir!" said Eva "A kusari-gama!"

"Oh yeah," said Arrathir Quinn "Cool."

"You think it's 'cool' to get beaned by an iron weight?" yelled the kitsune, her green eyes flaring "Well, why didn't you say so? Give me a second and I'll uproot a tree to bash you around with! It's not iron, but it'll do the trick!" She jumped at Arrathir, intending to punch him in the face.

"Whoa! Calm down, Eva!" yelled the Keeper of Black Mana, dodging the punch "I just meant the kusari-gama was an interesting weapon!" He was cut off as Eva caught him in the jaw with a solid uppercut.

"Charles," said Khell, hoping to change the subject before Eva killed Arrathir "Does Chiburuu know anything about this?"

Charles Wainscott was brought back to reality by the question. He blinked, gathering his thoughts. He was fairly tall, just over six feet, with short brown hair. His otherwise human appearance was slightly altered by his disfigured teeth; his abnormally large canines making him look like a vampire. Behind his blue eyes hid incredible power; the ability to alter the very flow of time and to create illusions indistinguishable from reality.

"Only bits and pieces," he answered, "He's currently searching through his memories for any information that might help us."

"We'll have to wait on this," said Khell "The pressing issue now is: what do we do about Chihowaido?"

"More pressing," said Eva "Is that we need to get more firewood. I'll go."

"I'll come with you," offered Charles as she got up "It'll go faster and that way we can bring back more," he added. Eva raised an interrogative eyebrow at Arrathir who merely nodded in approval. The two Keepers set off into the woods, quickly disappearing in the gloom.

"What was that all about?" Khell asked Arrathir.

"Charles is going to pour his heart out to Eva, methinks," said the black Keeper.

"I thought she was with you," frowned Khell.

"Well, Charles is in love with her as well, but he has trouble acknowledging she'll just see him as a friend. If he tells her how he feels, he'll get in out of his system and will be able to move on."

"Aren't you angry at him for kissing Eva?" asked Khell.

"A bit," said Arrathir "But I sympathize with him. Unrequited love is a bitch. Trust me, the best way from him to get over her is to spill his guts, she'll tell him she just likes him as a friend, Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt; he feels better and stops pining after her whilst knowing he can never have her."

* * *

"All right, Charles," said Eva as soon as they were out of earshot "What do you have to tell me?" 

"Was it that obvious?"

"Rather," said Eva.

"OK," said Charles "I want to apologize for the kiss, I shouldn't have done it. I should have seen that you had no romantic interest in me. I just wasn't in control, I couldn't help myself; I love you, Eva."

The Keeper of Red Mana was taken aback. The kiss had told her Charles was interested in her, but she had no idea his feelings for her ran so deep.

"Any man would be in heaven with you, Eva," said Charles "You're beautiful, intelligent, and have a great personality. I can't deny the way I feel about you." Charles making a slight pause to collect himself, "I know you don't feel the same about me, I'm glad you and Arrathir are together, because, it makes you happy and that's all I could ever wish for: you being happy. Even if it means I have to feel this sadness every time I see you and Arrathir together." As Charles finished his speech, his breath caught in his throat and he hung his head to meet his uprising palms, trying to hide the tears streaming down his face.

Eva didn't know how to react. Part of her wanted to embrace Charles and comfort him. He just seemed so miserable, yet he wasn't angry with her for choosing Arrathir over him. In a way, he had chosen to be miserable just so she could be happy. This was probably one of the nicest things anyone had done for her.

"Hey," she said, putting two fingers under the Keeper's chin and lifting his head so he was looking at her "I really admire your courage. It took some guts to tell me all that, and for that, I respect you a lot. Also, sacrificing your own happiness to ensure mine proves you really do love me, and I'm extremely grateful to have such a great friend as you. You've been very good to me, Charles; helping me through my grief after Arrathir's 'death' and in a sense, taking over as my unofficial protector while he was gone. I can't thank you enough for all you've done." Perching herself on her toes, Eva gave Charles a kiss on the cheek. "Consider that a small token of my gratitude," she added "I'll always consider you as sort of the older brother I never had."

"Why are you so good to me?" asked Charles, in shock "I don't deserve to be loved by a woman like you."

"Everyone deserves to be loved," said Eva "I'm positive you'll find your soul mate one day, and when you do, she'll be a lucky woman to have such a compassionate and romantic man as you. Now come on," she added with a smile "Let's gather some firewood."

To be continued…

Author's Note: Think I took enough of your time with the intro, so no Author's Note here.


	2. Hell Hath No Fury Like Woman Scorned

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my own characters.

* * *

**CHAPTER 2-Hell Hath no Fury like Woman Scorned**

Gritting his teeth, Arrathir braced himself. He closed his eyes as his hands exploded into black flames. As he pictured a kusari-gama in his mind, he kept telling himself it was no different from summoning a creature. In fact, it should be a lot easier since the weapon was an inanimate object. Feeling the mana flow around him, he kept his image of the weapon, seeing each link in the chain connecting the sickle to the weighted end. Placing his hands palm against palm in front of him like Eva had described the demon doing, he drew his hands apart, imagining the weapon appearing out of thin air. In a resounding bang, Arrathir's mana exploded in his face, singeing his hair and face. Blinking a few times, the stunned Keeper wondered where he'd gone wrong before the pain of the mana burn hit him.

"AUUUUGH! IT BURNS! OH, THE PAIN!" Arrathir screamed, clawing at his face.

"You know, experimenting with unknown mana techniques was bound to result in something like this," sighed Khell, as Arrathir ran past him, his face covered in burns.

"Umm, what's going on?" asked Eva as she and Charles came back to camp, each carrying an armful of firewood.

"Arrathir tried summoning his kusari-gama," said Khell "That would be the result."

Charles and Eva both groaned, rolling their eyes in perfect unison as Arrathir continued running around, screaming in pain. Blinded by the pain, he crashed into a tree and writhed on the ground in pain.

"Arrathir, you never cease to amaze me," said Eva, shaking her head while trying not to laugh too hard at the Keeper's ineptitude. Charles, however, didn't feel the need to hold back and turned away from the Keeper before bursting out into laughter.

Heaving a deep sigh, Khell cast Nourish on Arrathir, not because he was particularly concerned for the Keeper, his demon healing factor could take care of the burns; but more because the Keeper's screams were getting on his nerves.

"Ugh, thanks," said Arrathir as his skin healed over "Remind me not to try that again."

"Sometimes," said Eva "I wonder how you managed to survive this long."

"A combination of skill, courage, and pure dumb luck!" said Arrathir.

"I'd go more for the luck," said Eva, dumping her load of firewood "I'm exhausted. 'Night everyone."

After bidding Eva goodnight, the three remaining Keepers huddled around the fire, throwing on some more wood to keep the flames going. As they talked about what to do about Chihowaido, Arrathir could feel his eyelids growing heavy from the day's events. He began nodding off and awoke with a jerk as his head slumped forwards.

"Ugh," he said, shaking his head "That's it for me. I need sleep." Waving a tired hand at Khell and Cannon, he tried to find a comfortable spot nearby. Lying down under a low shrub, he soon dozed off.

* * *

Arrathir was walking through an endless field of high grass. He didn't know where he was or how he'd gotten there, but these questions didn't bother him. He was content with simply walking along, a cool breeze at his back bending the blades of grass forwards. He felt at peace: no troublesome questions about the Keepers of Mana plaguing his mind, no danger waiting to strike, nothing but an endless ocean of grass. 

As he walked, running the palms of his hands across the surface of the grass, he saw a figure in this distance. Strangely, he couldn't make out any features; the silhouette was blurred, as if he were looking at it through etched glass; however he could make out a red aura around the blurry outline.

_It must be Eva. What's she doing here?_

Picking up the pace, Arrathir headed for the figure, but strangely, he got no closer to it. Frowning, he broke into a run, cutting a furrow in the grass that closed behind him. He was aware that the wind had shifted; now blowing in his face and carrying Eva's faint cries and yelps of pain

"Eva!" roared Arrathir "Hang on, I'll be right there!"

He dashed madly towards her indistinct figure, his muscles screaming in pain as he pushed himself to the limit. His efforts were finally paying off. She was much closer now. He finally reached her, and with his last ounce of strength, jumped forwards to touch Eva's hand. Just as he felt her tenderness and warmth, he heard Eva's voice, like a whisper on the wind.

"Too late..."

The ground around them exploded in a thunderous bang. In shock and horror, Arrathir turned to face Eva, wide-eyed, as the shockwave overran their very beings.

* * *

"Eva!" shouted Arrathir, awakening with a jerk. He lay there for a few seconds, breathing heavily. The dream still replayed through his mind and he could almost feel the blast from the explosion. After a few moments, he relaxed as he realized he was in the forest. Letting out a sigh of relief, he decided to get up and check on Eva. The vision of her body being consumed by the explosion haunted him, and he wanted to see her. After all, he would only grow more protective of her now that they were an item. 

As he tried to get up, he felt an arm pinning him to the ground. Confused, he turned his head and blushed furiously as he realized Eva was lying behind him and was snuggling up to him as she slept, her stomach pressed against his back. Arrathir could feel her breath on his neck and the warmth of her body against his back.

_Oh shit! We're spooning! OK, OK, relax, deep breaths. Now, ordinarily, in a situation like this, you'd be in grave danger of getting the shit beaten out of you if she woke up, but in this case, she obviously came here on her own. Just stay cool and go back to sleep._

"Arrathir…" muttered Eva. The Keeper froze, pricking his ears. "I know you're awake," Eva continued.

"Uh, hi," said Arrathir.

"You smell good," said Eva, inhaling deeply.

"Thanks," said Arrathir, a bit confused by the randomness of Eva's comment "Ah, Eva? Why are you sleeping with me?"

"Well," said Eva, sitting up "Shouldn't we sleep together if we're going to be mates?"

"What?" said Arrathir, turning to face her "Whoa! Time out! When did we agree to be mates?"

"Well, why not?" asked Eva, putting an arm around Arrathir's neck and pulling him in until their noses touched "We love each other so what's wrong with wanting to spend the rest of our lives together?"

"A-Are you proposing?" stammered Arrathir, completely astonished.

"Yes," said Eva with a smile. She captured Arrathir's lips with her own, lightly nibbling his bottom lip. "What do you think?" she asked, breaking the kiss "Will you be my mate, Arrathir Quinn?"

Arrathir was flabbergasted by Eva's proposal. In his mind, he'd always seen this event the other way around. The both of them would have probably been in some special place and he'd get down on his knee, give a whole speech on how he loved her more than anything and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Then he'd pull out the ring and ask her to marry him. Eva would just be standing there, her mouth hanging open in shock and there might even be a tear of happiness running down her flushed face, making her look ever so beautiful. The moment would seem to last an eternity, during which they would just stare into each other's eyes. Then she would tearfully accept and they would passionately embrace.

However, the sudden reversal of situation left him grappling for an answer. He knew in his heart that the answer was 'yes.' He couldn't imagine himself spending the rest of his life with anyone _but_ Eva. Still, he felt a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"Eva," he said, "I don't know. We've only just begun our relationship."

"So?" said Eva "We've had this connection for a long time. Think about it: out of all the Keepers, you met me first. Why? Also, when you died, your life essence came to me. Arrathir, all these things happened for a reason. I think we're _meant_ to be together."

"I feel the same way," said Arrathir "But I can't help thinking that if the One ever found out about us, you'd be in danger and I could never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"Oh don't give that bullshit!" said Eva "Don't you pull a Parker on me."

"What?"

"The 'I don't want to see you hurt because of me' thing," said Eva "It might have worked before, but now that I'm a Keeper, I can protect myself. I don't need you hanging over my shoulder all the time!"

"Why is this so damn important to you?" snapped Arrathir "Can't you just live with us acknowledging our feeling? Why do you seek commitment?"

"Well," said Eva, irritated "If you really cared about me, you'd want to be assured we could be united forever."

"If _you_ really cared about me," growled Arrathir "You wouldn't be trying to pressure me into this!"

"How _dare_ you insinuate I don't love you!" shouted Eva "Do you know how hard it was to convince the others to keep your body after you died? I was the _only_ one that believed you weren't dead!"

"Yeah? Well maybe I wouldn't have died if you hadn't played your fucking Sulfuric Vortex!" replied Arrathir.

"Maybe if you didn't suck so much, you wouldn't have gotten wounded so badly!" shouted Eva.

"Hey! I'll beat you in a duel any day!" yelled Arrathir "Think you're good enough to take me on?"

"Fuck dueling you!" said Eva, flexing her claws "I'll just beat the shit out of you!"

Arrathir jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding Eva's claws. He brought up an arm to parry a kick to the face and, grabbing Eva's lag, yanked her up by the ankle. Eva thrashed, wildly flailing her feet and caught Arrathir in the chin. The Keeper of Black Mana was grunted in pain as he was knocked backwards, dropping Eva in the process.

Eva landed painfully on her back. Wincing, she got up and pounced on Arrathir, straddling his chest, and began pounding his face. The other Keeper brought his hands up, trying to protect himself, but Eva continued to claw at his arms. She suddenly felt Arrathir's legs lock around her neck and force her back until she could hardly breathe. Grabbing Eva's knees, Arrathir flipped her backwards.

Before Eva could launch a new attack, Arrathir was back on his feet. The Keeper of Red Mana charged at him, lashing out with her fists, and an occasional kick, and Arrathir was kept busy blocking, dodging, and parrying her assaults.

Eva growled in frustration. She was unable to land a solid hit on Arrathir, who seemed to be solely defending himself. She was puzzled by her failure to strike Arrathir.

"You're fast," she sneered as a red aura appeared around her "But I'm faster."

She suddenly darted forwards at an incredible speed. Arrathir could barely see the red blur she had become and before he knew it, she'd sunk her fist in his stomach. He doubled over in pain, the wind knocked out of him. Eva took advantage of his stunned state to slam him into the ground and jumped on his back, grinding his face into the dirt.

"You know," said Khell "It occurs to me we should probably help Arrathir."

"Nah," said Charles "I'm enjoying this."

The two Keepers were watching Arrathir getting the beating of his life from the cover of the trees. They'd been awakened by the loud arguing and by the time they'd gone to investigate, the fight had already started.

"Anyways," said Charles, as Eva put Arrathir in a hold and began doing something which, judging by the look on the black Keeper's face, must have been very painful "It's just a lover's tiff."

"A lover's tiff?" repeated Khell in disbelief as Eva drop-kicked Arrathir into a tree "Charles, I think she's really trying to hurt him!"

"Meh," said Charles "You know he likes it."

"I don't get it," said Khell "What did he say to get her riled up like that?"

"You have to remember," said Charles "That Eva embodies the entire concept of red mana. As such, every emotion she experiences is increased tenfold, so she's prone to snapping at the slightest provocation."

"Wait," said Khell "Every emotion is enhanced? So if she and Arrathir ever mated…"

"Yeah," said Charles "And Arrathir, because of the close contact, would share in this enhanced emotion."

Khell gave a low whistle. "Lucky bastard," he said.

"Beats Viagra," said Charles

"Via-what?"

"Never mind," said Charles "Ohh! That's not right!" he added in disgust, seeing what Eva was doing with Arrathir's tail.

With a final punch, Eva sent Arrathir crashing to the ground in a mass of tangled limbs. Breathing heavily, the Keeper of Red Mana suddenly spun around, startling Charles and Khell. The two Keepers gulped nervously as Eva glared daggers at them. Charles tried to look casual, whistling innocently as he looked about for an escape route while Khell was ready to go wurm, should the need arise.

The awkward silence was broken by a pitiful groan from the disheveled heap that was Arrathir.

"Pain…" he groaned.

Giving Arrathir one last hateful look, Eva stormed off into the woods. Charles and Khell let out the breaths they had been holding in a simultaneous sigh of relief.

"Well," said Charles "Break out the Nourishes, Khell."

To be continued…

Author's Note: Poor, poor Arrathir.

Until next time…


	3. Couples' Therapy

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my own characters.

* * *

**CHAPTER 3-Couples Therapy**

Crawling on the mossy forest ground, quasi invisible in the darkness that filled the underbrush, a small column of Fire Ants traveled towards their colony. The ants were dragging the carcass of an enormous beetle behind them. The queen would be pleased: their catch would greatly help the colony.

The beetle was extremely heavy for the ants; at least several hundred times their body weight, so they moved at an excruciatingly slow pace. Fortunately, they were close to their goal; they could smell the colony's pheromones in the surrounding areas. With renewed vigor, the Fire Ants pushed forwards, eager to reach the colony. Suddenly, in a thunderous crash, a shoe came down and squashed the ants, obliterating all their hard work in a mere second.

Eva faintly heard something crunch under her shoe, but she paid no heed; he attention was elsewhere at the moment. She stomped through the forest, muttering a string of curses directed at a certain _ghell_ under her breath.

(How _dare_ he reject me! Does he think he's so high and mighty that he's too good for me? If he loves me, why didn't he accept?)

In her rage, Eva punched at the nearest target, which, unfortunately for her, was a large boulder. Her eyes went wide in shock as pain shot through her hand and she thrust the bruised limb between her knees, squeezing it with her other hand while uttering yet another string of curses that would have put even the most belligerent user of profanity to shame.

Licking her bleeding knuckles, Eva sat beneath a large tree whose foliage spread out like a gigantic umbrella. The pain had brought her back to reality, but she was still irate at the Keeper of Black Mana.

(What is the matter with him? Is he afraid of commitment or something?)

**(Put yourself in his shoes, Eva: he's never been in a relationship this serious before. This is completely foreign territory for him, so he's probably feeling very insecure)**

(So he _is_ afraid)

**(No, Eva. I'm sure Arrathir would like nothing better than to take you as his mate. You just caught him by surprise)**

(I don't get it)

**(Much like with humans, demon males are usually the ones to make the first move, but ultimately, the choice of mates is left to the female. Now that the roles have been reversed, Arrathir is confused and needs time to digest the idea. Just don't push him. If you come onto him too strongly, you will just scare him off)**

(You don't know Arrathir; he'd never leave me)

**(There is a thin line between love and hate, Eva. What happens if you pour ice-cold water into a hot glass?)**

(The glass shatters)

**(Exactly. If you don't let the glass adjust to the temperature change, it contracts very rapidly and breaks. Similarly, if you don't let Arrathir warm up to the thought of you picking him as your mate, he too will break)**

(So what do you suggest I do?)

**(Tell him you respect his choices. Say you're not going to pressure him into this kind of relationship if he's not ready for it. Also, an apology for the beating you gave him would be nice)**

**

* * *

**A scream tore through the night. Arrathir writhed in pain as the sensation shot through his body. He screamed again from the unbearable torture his body was in. All he knew was the pain. It was so intense, he had already vomited twice and the third round was close. Fighting back the rising bile, he doubled over as more jolts ripped through him. He didn't know how much longer he could hold out before passing out.

"Quit whining, you big baby," said Khell as he set Arrathir's dislocated shoulder.

"Have _you_ ever gotten the shit kicked out of you by an enraged hanyou?" yelled Arrathir "It _hurts_!"

"Oh come on," said Khell "Your demon healing factor should be making this easy for you." Khell channeled some more mana into Arrathir's body, feeling the torn ligaments in Arrathir's wrists re-knitting back together. The Keeper's screams ceased and were replaced by the occasional whine as Khell continued healing the damage from Eva's attack.

"At least now we know who wears the trousers in your relationship," snickered Charles. Arrathir growled threateningly at him, while shooting the Keeper and angry glare.

"OK," said Khell, casting a final Nourish on Arrathir "You're patched up. You'll be sore for a few days, and need I remind you to _try_ and avoid getting into another fight with Eva for a while?"

"Tell me something I don't know," grumbled Arrathir, getting up and stretching his limbs.

"Why'd she go apeshit on you anyways?" asked Charles.

"She asked me to be her mate," said Arrathir "And I gave an unsatisfactory answer." Charles and Khell face-fell.

"You said 'no' to _Eva_?" asked Charles in bewilderment.

"I said I was unsure and thought maybe we were taking things too fast," said Arrathir.

"Oh for the love of…Get your act together, Arrathir!" yelled Charles "This is the woman of your _dreams_ you're taking about here! What the Hell is wrong with you? She's cute, smart, plays Magic, for fuck's sake, and to top it off, is in love with you!"

"I'd appreciate you not trying to tell me how to live my relationships," said Arrathir.

"Come _on_, Arrathir!" said Charles "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm just kind of freaked out by this whole thing, OK?" said Arrathir "I don't like the concept of marriage. It's supposed to be a sacred union between two people, but in today's world, its just become messed up."

"Don't see it as marriage," said Chiburuu, coming out in spirit form "Think of it more like this: you two are soul mates, that is to say, two souls destined to be mates or play an important part in each other's lives. In your case, I'd say both apply. You don't need marriage to seal your love. The bond between you two is stronger than what any symbolic ceremony could represent."

"I still think we're taking things a bit fast," said Arrathir "Technically, we don't know each other that well."

"In the big scheme of things, does that really matter?" asked Chiburuu "You _know_ Eva is the one for you. I mean, all dating really does is help you find someone you love, which you've succeeded in doing. It's only logical that you should accept her proposal, after all it is really what both of you want."

Arrathir sighed. He knew they were both right. He'd just been so surprised by Eva's proposal that he hadn't known what to say. Part of him had wanted to grab Eva and show her just how much she meant to him and how he never wanted to be separated from her, but part of him had been confused and slightly afraid.

"OK," he said, "I'm going to think this over. I don't want to rush into something I'm not ready for, but at least now the notion of taking Eva as my mate is seriously in my mind."

"If you feel you need time," said Chiburuu "Then you should let Eva know that you aren't ready, but are willing to accept her proposal. If she loves you, she'll understand."

"There's just so many questions that pop up if I accept," said Arrathir "Like, what happens after we get home? How do we make a living? Where do we live?"

"You're both Keepers of Mana," said Charles "Everyday human problems are nothing for you."

"Yeah, well, last I heard, being a Keeper doesn't pay the bills," said Arrathir.

"You'll figure something out," said Charles "If you can take on a Planeswalker, making a living should be a walk in the park."

"Suppose we could always create our own plane to live on or something," shrugged Arrathir.

"Now there's an idea!" said Charles "Picture this: custom-made planes. We could go into business and make some serious money."

"I don't know," said Khell "First off, who would be rich enough to afford an entire plane? Also, since all artificial planes eventually collapse, we would be responsible for all of the plane's inhabitants. Sounds like more trouble than it is worth."

"Eh, it's an idea," said Arrathir "Well, I'm going back to bed."

Leaving the two Keepers, Arrathir rooted about in the bushes, looking for his blanket. He'd tossed it somewhere when the argument with Eva had started. As he searched, he suddenly felt someone grab him and slam him to the ground on his back. Before he could shout, a pair of lips covered his, muffling his screams. For an instant, Arrathir panicked, but then relaxed as Eva's taste filled his mouth.

"I'm sorry," whispered Eva in between kisses "I'm sorry I tried to force you into a committal relationship and for not respecting your choices. It was selfish of me. I've got to start considering your needs if we're ever going to have a serious relationship."

"Er, thanks," said Arrathir "But couldn't you have tapped me on the shoulder or something to get my attention?"

"I figured you'd prefer an more…direct approach," grinned Eva.

"Eva, I love you," said Arrathir "And someday, I want us to be mates. I have no doubt I've found my soul mate in you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"When you're ready," said Eva, tears of happiness brimming in her eyes "I'll be waiting for you, Arrathir."

Eva crushed her lips against Arrathir's, passionately making out with him. Arrathir returned the kiss, running his tongue along Eva's gums while the red Keeper stroked his ears, causing him to murr gently.

As the two Keepers kept playing tonsil hockey, Eva began removing Arrathir's trenchcoat, a rather difficult task seeing as how she was on top of him, but she managed to get his arms out of the sleeves. Arrathir shivered as the night air chilled his arms. His hands seemed to have a will of their own and moved down Eva's back, undoing the buttons of her dress. Eva raised her arms, allowing Arrathir to slide the dress off her shoulders, leaving her clad only in her long-sleeve shirt and panties.

Arrathir was getting extremely aroused and, judging by her scent, so was Eva. Unlike when Chiruu had been in control, Arrathir felt no sense of embarrassment or doubt. It just felt right to be with Eva like this.

Eva had managed to remove Arrathir's shirt and was gently kissing his chest while the black Keeper ran his hand through her hair. His breath came in ragged gasps as Eva massaged his chest, moving south. As she reached the waistband, she grinned, noticing his arousal straining against the cloth.

"Looks like you're ready for action," said Eva "Unfortunately, you'll have to wait. That was just a preview of what you're in for." Gathering her clothes, Eva began to redress herself, while Arrathir's mind began its long trek out of the gutter.

"You…tease!" he shouted.

"Oh come on," grinned Eva, giving him a peck on the cheek "I'm not going to make it _that_ easy."

"You're cruel," said Arrathir.

"I want our first time to be special," said Eva, throwing Arrathir his blanket "Also, that's when we'll have to perform the mating ritual and that would mean you'd take me as your mate. I know you're not ready for that and I don't want to force you into that relationship. Hey, cheer up," she added, seeing the look on Arrathir's face "I'll sleep with you if you want, no strings attached."

"A-Are you sure?" stammered Arrathir, blushing.

"Don't be a prude," said Eva "We're fully clothed and I promise I won't try anything. I just want to be with you."

"Well, then I guess it's OK," said Arrathir.

"Yay!" squealed Eva, her ears perking up. She glomped Arrathir, sending them both crashing to the ground. Grabbing the blanket, she draped it over the two of them and rested her head on Arrathir's chest, soon falling asleep. This happened so fast that Arrathir barely had time to grunt in response to the glomp. He lay there, feeling the warmth of Eva's body against his; it felt nice. Arrathir began to gently stroke Eva's ears, enjoying the light vibrations against his chest as she began murring. As he gazed at the sleeping kitsune, Arrathir realized he was truly blessed to have Eva's love.

"Eva," he whispered "What would I do without you? You are my oxygen; the light in the dark tunnel of my life."

In some subliminal way, Eva must have heard him because she snuggled closer to the Keeper of Black Mana. The two Keepers lay there, wrapped in their little cocoon of happiness.

To be continued…

Author's Note: All together now, "Awwwwww!"

Until next time…


	4. Lu Chao Returns

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my own characters.

* * *

**CHAPTER 4-Lu Chao Returns**

**

* * *

**_Ah yes, true love. It took them a while and many trials, but the two Keepers have finally gotten together. Arrathir seems to have some doubts about their relationship, but he'll come around eventually. If they fail, it will undo everything they have worked so hard for.

* * *

The union of the Keeper of Black and Red Mana could work either way for me. It is indisputable that their power will grow as their two mana types become entwined. I will be watching these events as they unfold. All will be lost if something is not done soon._

_

* * *

_Arrathir felt something tickling his nose. He sneezed loudly, tearing himself from his slumber. Squinting against the morning sun filtering through the foliage, Arrathir realized one of Eva's ears was right under his nose and tickled his nostrils as it flicked now and then. Gently prying Eva off him, Arrathir got up, stretching his muscles. Pain shot through every nerve in his body, sending him to the ground, twitching in pain.

_Ow…_

**_Take it easy, Arrathir. Your injuries haven't completely healed._**

_No shit! I hadn't fucking noticed! I thought Khell healed me!_

**_He healed your injuries, but your muscles still took serious damage, hence the pain. It's as if you'd done a lot of strenuous exercise._**

Getting up slowly, Arrathir made a mental note not to push himself until he was fully healed. The pain reminded him of the previous night: Eva's proposal and his hesitance to take her as his mate.

_The problem is Eva and I have never really had time to bond properly. Everything's been so crazy since the Awakening that we never had time to ourselves to just be together._

**_Well, there is a solution to that: elope._**

_Doesn't that involve running away and getting married?_

**_Fine, cut out the getting married part. Just run away with Eva for a few days, socialize and get to know her better._**

_That's…not a bad idea, Chikuro!_

**_I _do _have my moments, eh?_**

_What do you think Eva's going to think of this?_

**_I think she'd jump at any opportunity to spend time alone with you._**

As Arrathir was about to turn around to wake Eva in order to share his idea with her, he felt a pair of arms slide around his waist, embracing him gently.

"Morning," said Eva in a sleepy voice as she rested her head on Arrathir's back.

"Hey," said Arrathir, turning to face the fox-girl "Sleep well?"

"Better than ever," said Eva "Because I was with you." Perching on her toes, she kissed the blushing Keeper.

"Eva, I've had…"

**_Ahem!_**

"Fine, _we've_ had a great idea," said Arrathir, rolling his eyes.

"_We've?_"

"Chikuro and I," said Arrathir "We should forget about everything: the Keepers of Mana, Chihowaido, the Awakening and all the rest for a few days. Run off just the two of us to spend time together, eh?"

"You want to elope?" questioned Eva.

"Well, except for the whole getting married part, yes."

"Wow," said Eva "I never pictured you as the romantic type, Arrathir. This is a pleasant surprise."

"You don't think I'm romantic?" asked Arrathir.

"In general, no," said Eva "But you have little instances of romanticism now and then. Hey, don't worry," she added, seeing the downfallen look on Arrathir's face "I like you that way. That way, you always catch me off guard when you have your moments."

"You don't like romantic guys?" mumbled Arrathir.

"Not if they're romantic 24/7, no," said Eva "That would get boring pretty quickly."

"So, you think this is a good idea?"

"Of course!" said Eva "I think this could really help our relationship. Plus, now that the Awakening is over, we deserve a break."

"When should we leave?" asked Arrathir.

"Right now," said Eva "Before Khell or Charles wakes up."

"Shouldn't we tell them where we are going?" asked Arrathir.

"Nah," said Eva "They'll figure it out on their own. Plus, if we told them, they'd probably try to stop us."

"You've got a point," said Arrathir "OK, first let's grab some supplies."

The tow Keepers headed for the campsite where their food bags hung in a tree, out of the reach of scavengers. As they approached the campsite, they saw Khell was already awake and was sitting beside the now-extinguished campfire with his back to them, meditating.

"Shit!" said Arrathir "This is going to complicate things. We can't get past him without being noticed. If only we could mask our mana somehow."

"I can't mask my mana," said Eva "But I _can _alter it."

"Eh?"

"I'm a shape shifter, remember?" said Eva "So if take Charles' form, it should make my mana appear blue and that should let me grab some food without Khell reacting."

(OK, Chiruu: how do I go about with this?)

**(It's a lot like summoning. Just imagine Charles as if he were a creature you were trying to summon. Then picture yourself turning into him. Focus on the transformation and the shape shifting process should begin)**

Nodding, Eva closed her eyes and began picturing Charles in her mind. She retained the mental image and began rotating it, observing it from every angle. She felt prickles run all over her skin as the transformation began.

Arrathir had seen a lot of weird things during the course of the Awakening, but Eva's transformation took the cake.

Her hair shortened and facial hair grew all over her chin. Her fangs shortened to long canines and pushed slightly outwards, mimicking Charles' slightly deformed teeth. Her breasts melted into her chest and she grew several inches in height. Her arms and legs thickened and when she opened her eyes, Arrathir saw her irises had shifted from green to blue.

The transformation completed, Arrathir found himself facing a fox-eared Charles wearing Eva's dress. The effect was somewhere between comical and disturbing.

"How do I look?" asked Eva, only it was still her voice coming out of Charles' mouth.

"The ears and the tail might be a giveaway," said Arrathir.

Eva's hands shot up to her ears. She frowned.

(What's going on, Chiruu?)

**(I was afraid of this. Since you're a hybrid, your shape shifting skills aren't as advanced as a full-blooded kitsune's. Therefore, your transformations will always be incomplete.)**

(OK, but why didn't my clothes or voice change? When we turned into Khell to trick Arrathir they did)

**(That was because I was controlling the transformation. You're inexperience, so you can only alter your physique)**

(Khell's not going to fall for this)

**(Here, give me a second)**

Eva felt a slight tingle in her throat as her vocal cords rearranged themselves. Her dress split down the front and the sleeves lengthened. The green shifted to a deep blue, leaving Eva wearing a replica of Charles' cloak.

"How about now?" she asked, her voice deeper.

"Prefect," said Arrathir "As long as Khell doesn't spot your ears or tail. Keep the tail under the cloak and if need be, put up the hood to hide your ears. Don't talk to him unless he talks to you. Just get in and get out."

"Here I go," said Eva "Wish me luck."

Eva crept as stealthily as she could towards the food bags, keeping a wary eye on the green Keeper. Reaching the tree where the bags were suspended, she leapt up to the branch from which they hung and grabbed one of them, slinging it over her shoulders. She also grabbed a water skin and added it to the contents of her bag before jumping back down, landing on her toes to minimize the noise.

Eva glanced nervously at Khell; he hadn't moved from his spot beside the charred remains of the campfire. Giving Arrathir a thumbs-up, she began making her way back to the other Keeper. As she skirted a pile of dry leaves, she stepped on a branch, snapping it with a crack. The sound would have been inaudible to human ears, but to Eva, it rang out like a gunshot. She froze; remaining stock-still while praying Khell hadn't heard the noise.

"You can drop the illusion, Eva," said Khell after an interminable silence "And tell Arrathir to get out from behind that tree."

Eva was stunned: how could Khell have seen though her disguise. She looked over at Arrathir, who shrugged in defeat and came over to her. Sighing, Eva reverted back to her true form.

"Did you really think a simple shape shifting trick could fool me?" asked Khell. He sounded irritated, but an amused glint sparkled in his eye.

"That was kind of our hope," said Arrathir.

"Well, you failed," said Khell "Now, mind explaining what you were doing, sneaking about and stealing our rations?"

""We wanted to run away for a few days to take some time off from the Awakening and sort out our relationship," admitted Eva.

"Why didn't you just say so?" asked Khell.

"We were afraid you'd try to stop us," said Arrathir.

"Why would I?" asked Khell "You're two very capable summoners. You'd don't need my help at all times. You did a great job with the Awakening, so now take some time for yourselves. Go have fun!"

"That was easy," said Arrathir after they'd thanked Khell and left.

"I think he understood that we were going through with our plan, whether he liked it or not," said Eva "So he went along with it."

"So, where should we go?" asked Arrathir.

"The valley's pretty big," said Eva "Come on, let's go exploring!" Grabbing Arrathir's hand, she led him off into the forest.

Khell waited for a few minutes after the Keepers had vanished before summoning Ishnarak, the wurm appearing with a low growl, its long, snakelike body wrapped around the trunk of a nearby tree.

"Follow them, girl," said Khell "Don't be seen, but if they run into trouble, intervene or come straight back to me if you can't handle it."

The wurm affectionately nuzzled her master's cheek before slinking off into the forest. Satisfied, Khell busied himself preparing breakfast.

* * *

When Charles awoke, he immediately got up to check on Arrathir. He knew Eva had returned; he'd felt her mana the previous night, and he was curious to see if the two had patched things up. 

Reaching out with his mana, he tried to locate the black Keeper, but came up blank. He tried again, this time searching for the furious rage of Eva's mana, but with no more success. Frowning, he broadened his range, extending his search as far as he could. The search was difficult, given the large presence of red and green mana around. Finally, he managed to catch a hint of black mana among the maelstrom of red and green mana. Worried, he headed back to camp to find Khell.

"Eva and Arrathir are missing," he said as he reached the campsite, where Khell was coaxing the fire back to life "I think I found Arrathir, but the signal was very faint."

"Don't worry," said Khell "They just left on a little honeymoon for a few days."

"You knew about this?" asked Charles "And you let them leave?"

"They're both Keepers of Mana," said Khell "They can handle themselves."

"We are under constant threat!" said Charles "Chihowaido is on the loose, not to mention our unknown enemy is still active. We have no idea who or what the next threat could be! We need to stick together for safety."

"I couldn't have stopped them if I'd tried," said Khell "They're young and in love. They just need time to sort out their relationship. I sent Ishnarak to follow them in case anything happens."

"Ishnarak?"

"My wurm," answered Khell.

"If we separate from each other, we are more vulnerable," said Chiburuu, coming out in sprit form "Two Keepers are less of a threat than four. We've been getting off easy: most of the enemies we've faced thus far were using tribal decks with little to no real strategy. Something tells me that now the Awakening is over, our enemies are going to come at us with everything they've got. As we stand, the Keepers are nowhere near to their full power and I know there are summoners out there who could be on par with our current power, perhaps even stronger."

"Chikuro and Chiruu can protect themselves," said Khell.

"I do not doubt their power," said Chiburuu "I doubt their strategies. Currently, all the Keepers are using very basic dueling techniques which could be easily defeated by an experienced summoner."

Chiguriin was about to rebut when he suddenly froze.

"Do you sense that?" he asked.

"Yes," said Chiburuu "There is a strong presence of white mana nearby."

Khell and Charles' hands burst into flames as they readied their mana in case of an attack.

"Who's there?" asked Khell "Show yourselves!"

"Put out your mana, Keepers," said Lu Chao, stepping out from behind a tree "It is only I."

"Justicar Planeswalker," said Khell, bowing to Lu Chao.

"Oh no," said Lu Chao "It is I who should be bowing before you." He took a sweeping bow. "It is an honor to meet you again, Keepers of Mana. Your quest is at its end. The Keepers have been awakened and even as we speak, the balance of mana in the Multiverse is being restored. We are eternally in your debt."

"We aren't done yet," said Chiburuu "There is still the matter of Chihowaido."

"Yes, the white Keeper," said Lu Chao, shaking his head sadly "That was the purpose of my visit. The Keeper of White Mana seems to have been led astray and, seemingly, has the intention of undoing what has been done."

To be continued…

Author's Note: So, Lu Chao's back with more bad news. Meanwhile, Arrathir and Eva are off romping in the woods, alone. I'll leave the rest up to your imagination, eh?

Until next time…


	5. Seek and Destroy

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my own characters.

* * *

**CHAPTER 5-Seek and Destroy  
**

_Chihowaido surveyed the village ahead. Composed of thatched roof cottages, it looked perfectly innocent, just sitting there on the open plain, but the evil of the _ghells _lay within, waiting like a coiled serpent for the opportunity to strike._

_He looked back at his platoon of knights; they looked nervous. All of them were hardened warriors who had seen the evil of the _ghells _in many battles; they knew the danger they were facing. Even with the Keeper of White Mana at their side, they were on edge, ready for any eventuality._

_As they entered the village, the citizens parted before them in fear and awe. Chihowaido paid they no heed. He led his troops to the center of the village, the crowd following them._

_Upon reaching their destination, Chihowaido called for a halt. One of the knights stepped forwards and pulled out a scroll. Unfurling it, he began reading in a loud, booming voice._

"_Citizens of Noomah!" he read "There is a _ghell _living among you! By order of Chihowaido, Keeper of White Mana, you are to bring them forth so the Keeper may bring his justice upon them! Should you refuse of cooperate, we will ransack this village until they are found! Anyone found to be sheltering the _ghell _shall suffer the wrath of the Keeper!"_

_A hubbub erupted among the villagers, growing to a deafening roar, until Chihowaido threw his hand up, his mana exploding in a loud bang. The crowd grew silent at the awesome display of the Keeper's power._

"_I shall only ask once," said Chihowaido in a low voice "Where is the _ghell_?" _

_The crowd parted and two men dragging a young boy appeared. They threw him at the Keeper's feet before retreating back into the crowd. The child cowered in fear before Chihowaido. The Keeper stared at the boy: he couldn't be older than ten, but he was already tainted with the evil of the _ghell_. Chihowaido glared at him with intense fury._

"Ghell_!" he spat "You are not worthy of being in my presence, let alone being alive!"_

_A scream of anguish went up from the crowd and a woman broke through the front row. Throwing herself upon the boy, she wept bitterly while begging for mercy._

"_Not my child!" she wailed "Mercy, Keeper! I beg of you! Take my life if you must, but spare my boy!"_

"_Move aside, woman," said Chihowaido "This _ghell _is no longer your child. He is now an enemy of the Multiverse and must be destroyed for our safety."_

"_He's only a boy!" said the mother "He did not choose this path! He can do no harm!"_

"_We are at war with the Keeper of Black Mana," said Chihowaido "He is drawing all _ghells _to him. It is only a matter of time before this one joins him. We cannot allow the black Keeper to gain more allies. Take her away," he added to the knights._

_Two knights stepped forwards and pried the mother's hands from her child. They dragged her away kicking and screaming at the men to release her._

"_Now," said Chihowaido, turning back to the boy and drawing his sword "As Keeper of White Mana, bringer of justice, I find you guilty of being a threat to the Multiverse and a traitor to the Alliance. For these crimes, you are condemned to be Cleansed!" His sword began shining brightly, the white light enveloping the Keeper and the boy. The onlookers had to shield their eyes and turn away from the blinding light as the child's screams filled the air. When the light faded, only Chihowaido remained; the child had vanished._

_The villagers stared in horror and anger at Chihowaido's cruelty. Many of them looked as though they wished to tear the Keeper to bits, but their fear kept them from doing so._

"_Raze the village," Chihowaido told his soldiers "It has been tainted by the _ghell'_s evil."_

_Chihowaido flew across the plains back to his castle, the scent of blood and smoke thick in his nostrils._

_

* * *

_Chihowaido opened his eyes. It was night and the pale moonlight filtered through his window, casting a rectangle of light upon the floor. The Aven was lying spread eagle on his bed, his wings tangled with the bed sheets. Freeing himself, the Keeper stood up and walked over to the window.

His bedroom in Lu Chao's small fortress overlooked the rolling golden plains that surrounded the fortress on all sides. In fact, the entire planet seemed to be nothing more than one huge plain. He'd been hiding out on this plane ever since he'd split from the Keepers. It had been a week by this plane's time, but according to Lu Chao, only a day had passed on Dominaria. During this time, he'd been training in view of his next encounter with Chikuro. He'd re-worked his strategy, something he's been meaning to do ever since he awoke but couldn't since his host had kept him locked up.

As he breathed in the cool night air, his mind wandered back to his dream. Ever since he'd taken control of his host's body, memories kept coming back to him; memories of the War of the Keepers. These memories fuelled his hatred of the black Keeper from the horrors he saw in them and strengthened his resolve to stop Chikuro before he returned to his old ways. Chikuro had claimed to be reformed, but Chihowaido knew this was merely a ruse to get the other Keepers off-guard. He might have fooled them, but Chihowaido wasn't falling for it. _Ghells_ never change. They were practically, genetically programmed to be evil.

He sighed. The problem of the Keeper of Black Mana weighed heavily on his mind. Taking a swig of water from the pitcher by his bed, he sat down to think things over.

Lu Chao had informed him the other Keepers of Mana were still alive, and that Chiruu had awakened. Who would have thought Arrathir's girlfriend would have turned out to be a Keeper of Mana? The fact that Chikuro had not made his move yet puzzled him. He was certain that as soon as all the Keepers had awakened, Chikuro would drop the act. Perhaps he was waiting for Chihowaido to return in order to kill all the Keepers in one clean sweep.

There would be time to think things over in the morning. For now, he needed rest. Getting back in bed, the white Keeper soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Is there any way to stop Chihowaido?" Charles asked Lu Chao. 

The Planeswalker and the two Keepers were seated around the fire, taking a quick breakfast.

"It would be possible, yet improbable," said Lu Chao "Chihowaido is in an imbalance. Being kept sealed up for so long, especially while Erik was aware of his presence must have taken toll on his mind."

"You're saying he's gone mad?" asked Charles.

"Put yourself in his shoes," said Lu Chao "He sacrificed himself for the greater good, only to learn that it was in vain and that the evil he was trying to destroy is back."

"I don't get it," said Khell "He's seen how Chikuro's changed, so why is he still hell-bent on killing him?"

"We've been over this," said Charles "He can't think of Chikuro in any other way than a villain ready to finish what he started. Also, he's got a natural animosity towards him since their colors are enemies."

"Even if Chihowaido were to be defeated, I doubt it would help our present situation," said Lu Chao.

"Why?" asked Khell.

"He's lost all chance of his host ever accepting him. He has shattered the last bond of trust that attached him to his host," said Chiburuu.

"As long as the two halves are not a whole, they will fail," said Lu Chao.

"Just like the Keepers," said Chiburuu "United we stand; divided we fall."

* * *

"So, how did you get started in Magic?" asked Arrathir. 

Eva looked up from the stream where she was washing her face. The two Keepers had traveled aimlessly through the valley during the morning. By lunch, they had reached the edge of the valley where the ground began to slope upwards towards the high peaks of the mountains that surrounded the valley. They'd decided to take a rest by the stream that ran down from the mountains.

"My father," said Eva "He was a fairly successful Magic player. Never made it to the pro leagues, but he still managed to make a name for himself in the Magic community."

"What did he run?" asked Arrathir.

"Merfolks," said Eva "I inherited my passion for the game from him."

"I suppose he must have expected a lot from you, eh?" asked Arrathir.

"He never pushed me into the game," said Eva "I picked it up on my own, building decks out of spare cards. Eventually, he began to notice this and started teaching me more about the game."

"So were you trying to recreate his long-lost dream of going pro at the PTQ?" asked Arrathir.

"I've been trying to go pro since I was fifteen," said Eva "Unfortunately, I was a lot more impatient and irritable back then, teen hormones and whatnot."

"More irritable and impatient?" said Arrathir "I find that hard to believe."

"Hey!" said Eva, playfully slugging his shoulder.

"Does it hurt talking about them, your parents?" asked Arrathir.

"Yes," said Eva "They loved me very much and I miss them terribly. Maybe when this whole mess is over, we could travel back in time to warn them about the Slivers or something."

"I've thought of that," said Arrathir "Using time travel to save my mother, but I've realized that altering the past is wrong; after all, we don't fully understand it."

"_You_ did it, when I died," said Eva.

"Everything happens for a reason," said Arrathir "If you hadn't died, I wouldn't have met Charles."

"So you're saying my parents were meant t die?" asked Eva.

"I don't know!" yelled Arrathir "The point is: we can't undo what has been done. Chiburuu would never accept! The only reason he sent me back was because Charles had a crush on you!"

"So now its Charles' fault for having feeling towards me?" yelled Eva, jumping up and pointing an accusatory finger at Arrathir.

"When did I ever say it was Charles' fault?" asked Arrathir.

"You say we shouldn't alter the past for our own purposes," yelled Eva "Apparently, this doesn't apply to you!"

"Eva!" said Arrathir "Don't you think Charles would save your parents if he could? Hell, why doesn't he just send me back so I can tell my past self everything that's going to happen during the Awakening and exactly who the Keepers of Mana are? If he did that, it would radically alter the future since my past self would try to make what I told him happen and probably wouldn't make the same decisions as I did! Changing the past can have radical repercussions on the future. It's the butterfly effect! What if, by trying to save your parents, we end up making the Awakening fail?"

"So in other words, you don't give a shit about my parents!" yelled Eva. She charged at Arrathir, ready to knock him into next week. The black Keeper decided this would be an excellent time to run away.

* * *

"Where are you, Arrathir?" asked Eva in a singsong voice "You can't hide. I can sense your mana!" 

Arrathir, who was currently hiding behind a large boulder, knew she was right. His flight from Eva had led them into the mountains surrounding the valley. Peeking around the boulder, he saw the coast was clear. Scanning the area, he saw a nearby cave. It would do. Dashing across the open terrain, he expected a Fireball to hit him at any moment, but he made it safely to the cave.

As he rushed in, his foot caught on a rock and he fell in a clatter of stones and a string of expletives. As he picked himself up, a low growl echoed through the cavern and Arrathir saw a shape moving in the gloom that filled the rear of the cave. Two golden eyes appeared in the darkness, staring piercingly at Arrathir. As they came closer, the body of an enormous dragon appeared.

Its body was a deep blue, almost black. A small frill surrounded its head, going from the jaw line to the two horns, which were slightly curved towards the back of the head. Its pointed muzzle was slightly open, revealing its sharp teeth. Two leathery wings lay folded on the creature's back, awaiting flight. The dragon snorted at Arrathir, extremely irritated at the intruder.

Arrathir was now faced with an interesting choice: run outside and face Eva's wrath, or stay here and face the dragon's.

_I think I'll take my chances with the dragon._

However, the dragon made the choice for Arrathir and the black Keeper bolted from the cave like a bat out of Hell, a tongue of flames on his tail.

"Gotcha!" said Eva, appearing out of nowhere and tackling Arrathir to the ground.

"As much as I'd _love_ to continue this conversation," said Arrathir "We've got a bigger problem!" He pointed to the mouth of the cave, from which the dragon was emerging.

"Holy…" said Eva, getting off Arrathir and staring in awe at the dragon.

"I've got this," said Arrathir, charging up a Terror spell.

"Wait, no!" said Eva, batting Arrathir's arm away as he released the spell. The Terror whizzed past the dragon's head and impacted with a boulder behind it, shattering the rock and showering the Keepers with fragments of rock. "You can't just kill it!" yelled Eva "Look at that power, that majesty!"

"Eva, that power and majesty wants to make us it lunch!" said Arrathir "We've got no choice! Its not like we can ask it not to eat us or anything!"

"I could try," said Eva.

"Eh?"

"I'm the Keeper of Red Mana," said Eva "Since I have an affinity to red creatures, maybe I can communicate with it through its mana."

Arrathir just stared at Eva with a 'what the…' look on his face. Rolling her eyes, Eva nervously approached the dragon, trying not to look at the sharp teeth and claws; knowing the dragon could attack at any second. As she approached, the dragon roared in challenge and spread its wings. Reaching out with her mind, Eva brushed against the dragon's consciousness. She felt great anger; hatred towards the intruders.

(We mean you no harm, elder)

The anger faded slightly and some curiosity crept in. Who were these beings that could speak to them?

(Forgive us, elder. We did not mean to intrude. We are mere travelers in these parts and will be on our way. You have nothing to fear of us)

The dragon seemed to calm down. It folded its wings and stared intently at Eva. Turning to Arrathir, she gave him a thumbs-up and a smile. Turning back to the dragon, she resumed her mind-link with the creature, but unfortunately, she pumped a bit too much mana through her link, causing the dragon to roar in pain and begin thrashing about. Eva jumped backwards as the dragon's tail flailed wildly about, narrowly missing her head.

"Nice," commented Arrathir "So tell me, Doctor Dolittle, what do we do now?"

"Two options," said Eva "Run or run faster."

"I like option two," said Arrathir. The two Keepers took off, the dragon's enraged roars following them.

To be continued…

Author's note: Yeah, between Eva or the dragon, I think I would have chosen the dragon.

On a different topic, a lot of people have been complaining that Twilight doesn't seem to measure up to MTGvsYGO or The Awakening. Everybody seems to think it is going too slowly. Well, I've got some news for you, I'm the author so what I say goes. Not happy with that? Tough! Seriously, I'm tired of putting time and effort into this and really trying to make this a successful sequel to The Awakening only to have people bitch about how there's no plot development, they want more action, the chapters are too short, ect…Write your own goddamn fanfic if you think you're so smart! I am _not_ going to go into fanservice and have tons of duels just so you guys can have some action. That would totally distort my vision of the story all for the satisfaction of my readers. Learn to appreciate character development without plot, OK?

I am trying my best to keep my characters grounded in reality. It would be very easy for me to just have a shitload of enemies attack them, only to have the Keepers break out an arsenal of cool spells and pwn them all. The reason the past few chapters seem so 'boring' is because I'm trying to imagine what the characters would do in these situations, all while keeping in mind that they are involved in something which, quite frankly, they do not even begin to understand a iota of.

OK, Rant over.

Until next time…


	6. Form of the Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.

* * *

**CHAPTER 6-Form of the Dragon  
**

"Is it still following us?" asked Arrathir.

"Shut up and run!" said Eva as the dragon flew overhead, screeching.

The two Keepers had been chased out of the valley and back into the rocky crags of the cordillera. They'd been forced into a narrow canyon that ran southwards. Fortunately, the mouth of the canyon was too narrow for the dragon to enter, so it merely circled around, occasionally spewing a jet of fire down at the Keepers.

"We need to get back to the valley," said Eva "The trees'll provide better cover."

"Look out!" yelled Arrathir as the dragon perched itself over the mouth of the canyon and stuck its snout into the opening, the great teeth gnashing ahead of the Keepers.

"Back! Back!" said Arrathir, turning around. As they tried to flee in the opposite direction, the dragon's tail came crashing down in front of them, blocking their path.

"Just great!" yelled Eva "Big teeth on one side; huge-ass tail on the other! How could this get any worse?"

Eva's question was answered as the dragon stuck a forelimb down and began slashing around the enclosed space with its sharp claws. The Keepers were forced into a crazy dance as they dodged the blows.

"Never say that!" yelled Arrathir, jumping over a blow "You jinxed it!"

"Know what?" said Eva I've changed my mind: Terror the fucker!"

"Thought you'd never ask!" said Arrathir, charging his mana. As the dragon slashed at him again, he latched onto the wrist, running up the arm and onto the dragon's neck. "Say hello to my little friend!" he yelled, slamming the spell into the creature's head as the dragon raised its neck to find its missing prey. Eva took this opportunity to take off down the canyon. Leaping off the dragon's back, Arrathir landed in the canyon. As he landed, he felt a sharp pain in his leg and heard a bone snap. He screamed out in pain as he collapsed to the ground.

_Fuck! My leg!_

Hearing Arrathir's scream, Eva turned. Seeing her mate-to-be in pain, she doubled-timed it back to him as the dragon writhed in pain above them.

"What happened?" she asked, kneeling beside Arrathir, who was clutching his knee and grimacing in pain.

"Pretty sure I broke my leg," he grunted "Wasn't fully healed from last night."

Eva felt a stab of guilt. It was her fault, after all that he'd gotten injured. She groaned inwardly. She really needed to get a grip on her emotions and stop flying off the handle like that at Arrathir.

"Get on!" she told Arrathir, turning her back to him. Arrathir managed to clamber onto Eva's back, latching his arms around her waist.

"Why isn't it dying?" asked Arrathir, pointing to the dragon, who was still writhing in pain.

"Arrathir," said Eva "I don't think that's a normal Shivan Dragon. Looks more like a Vampiric Dragon!"

"Eh?"

"Red/Black creature," said Eva "5/5 flier for…"

"Don't need to know the specs!" said Arrathir "I get the damn point: Terror doesn't work."

With a roar, the dragon snakes its head back into the canyon, its open mouth pointing at the Keepers. At the back of its throat, Arrathir could see a small blue flame. He immediately understood.

"Eva…" he said. Looking back, the red Keeper comprehended the situation immediately. She took off running as the dragon spewed a giant fireball down the canyon after the Keepers.

Eva bounded through the canyon, feeling the heat of the fireball at her back. Arrathir's added weight slowed her down a bit, but she still managed to keep them ahead of the dragon's attack. Arrathir whined and moaned as every bump sent jolts of pain through his broken leg. As he turned to check on the progress of the pursuing fireball, he saw it had gained a lot of ground.

"Step on it, Eva!" he shouted, "I opted for cremation, but I'd like that to wait until I've died!"

Eva only grunted in response, but she put on a burst of speed. Ahead, she could see the canyon opening up into a wasteland of rocks and dirt. As they neared the end of the canyon, the Keepers could feel the heat intensifying, as the fireball got closer. Arrathir could feel the hair on the back of his neck singeing from the heat.

As they reached the end of the canyon, Eva leapt into the air as the fireball roared under them. The fireball died out with a small pop as it lost speed. Eva touched down safely as the dragon came flying low over the ground. It buzzed the two Keepers, circling around for another pass.

"We need something to kill it!" said Arrathir.

"If I had time," said Eva "I could get a Fireball ready, but I don't think we have time for that."

"Great!" said Arrathir "So we need an Instant for very little mana. What, other than Terror, can we use?"

"Rend Flesh?" suggested Eva.

"I don't know that spell!" said Arrathir.

"Ask Chikuro."

"No good," said Arrathir "He said we won't need him, so I'm on my own!"

"Got it!" said Eva, as the dragon swept by again, this time spewing a tongue of flames at the Keepers "Terminate!"

"That's a black/red spell!" said Arrathir.

"Then we'll just have to cast it together!" said Eva "Hurry," she said, grabbing Arrathir's left hand with hers "Now focus! Feel your mana blending with mine."

Arrathir closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. He could feel his mana bumping against Eva's, occasionally mixing. He focused on the point where the two mana types clashed, trying to harness the power in order to cast the spell. He sensed the chaotic nature of Eva's red mana, as well as the desire to kill of his own black mana. He tried combining these two emotions in order to achieve the spell. Terminate combined the destructive power of red with that of black in order to destroy any creature.

"Here it comes again!" yelled Eva "Ready?"

"When you are!" said Arrathir.

As the dragon flew at them, its jaws wide open in preparation for another fireball, the two Keepers raised their joint hands to the sky. The ground began shaking violently and cracks began appearing as the earth split itself apart, creating large crevices. A jet of magma erupted from one of the crevices; the geyser of molten rock spraying over the dragon.

The creature roared in pain as the magma burned away at its wings, leaving large holes in the thin membrane. Another jet sprayed over its back, burning through the creature's hide and leaving great red spots on its body. By now, the dragon was in too much pain to fly. It collapsed to the ground, roaring in fury and pain as more magma splashed over it. The smell of burning flesh filled the air and the Keepers could hear the skin sizzling.

With a final roar, the dragon let its head fall to the ground, the great golden eyes closing as death took its hold on the creature.

"Is it dead?" asked Eva.

"Its mana is gone," said Arrathir, after a quick check.

"It's a shame," said Eva, walking up to the dragon's corpse and putting her hand on its flank "Such a beautiful creature…" she paused. "Arrathir, this dragon is female," she added.

"Eh?"

"Her mammary glands are swollen," added Eva, speaking more to herself than to Arrathir.

"Eh?"

"She's got whelps!" said Eva, exasperated "Don't you get it? She was just trying to defend her younglings!"

"Oh," said Arrathir, not quite sure how to react.

"What do you mean 'Oh'?" yelled Eva "Because of us, now the whelps don't have a mother!"

"It's not like we had a choice!" said Arrathir "It was her or us!"

"OK, OK," said Eva, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm herself "Let's just go back to the cave and see how many whelps there are."

"Go back in there?" asked Arrathir "Are you mad?"

"I _will_ be if you don't come along quietly," said Eva, her eyes blazing.

"Mark my words," he grumbled, falling into step beside Eva as they began the trek back to the valley "One day, whipped men all around the world _will_ rise up against their aggressors."

"Mush!" said Eva, snapping an imaginary whip.

* * *

They soon reached the cave where they'd first encountered the dragon and entered. The ground sloped downwards towards the back of the cavern. Soon, the light from the mouth of the cave wasn't enough for the Keepers to see, even with their superior sight, so Eva lit a handful of mana to help guide them. 

They walked in silence for a few minutes, hearing nothing but the scrape of their shoes against the rocky ground. The cave narrowed and turned into a small rock tunnel. Following the tunnel, they emerged into a small grotto. In the center of the grotto was a nest. It was made of what looked like dried mud. Small bones and broken eggshell fragments littered the ground around the nest. As the approached, they heard a chirp coming from the roost.

A tiny clawed hand appeared over the edge of the roost, followed by a small snout. The dragon whelp pulled itself from the nest, flopping down to the ground with a squeak. It began stumbling its way across the ground. The Keepers could see it was limping and one of its wings was crooked. Before the whelp had made a few feet, two more whelps, bigger than the first, came out of the nest and began pecking at their sibling. The whelp tried to get away, but the two other whelps managed to pin it to the ground. The runt squealed in pain as the began nipping at its body.

"They're trying to eat it!" whispered Eva "We've got to help it!"

"Eva, it's only nature," said Arrathir "Survival of the fittest. If the whelp can't defend itself against its siblings, how can it hope to survive against other enemies?"

"I can't just let it be killed!" said Eva. She stepped forwards, casting two Shocks at the attacking whelps. The two dragons chirped in alarm and backed away from the other whelp. Eva bent down and scooped up the injured whelp. She could feel its heart beating rapidly and its breath came in ragged gasps.

"Shh," she said, cradling it in her arms "You're safe now. Everything is going to be OK."

The whelp chirped in confusion, looking up at the red Keeper. Its beady eyes scrutinized her, assessing if she was a threat. The whelp was very fearful of the creature holding him. After all, it had nearly been torn to pieces by its own siblings. However, the Keeper's words seemed to have a calming effect on the whelp and it did not struggle in her arms.

"Come on," she told Arrathir "Let's get out of here."

"Wait, Eva," said Arrathir "What are you planning to do with that dragon?"

"It doesn't have a mother anymore," said Eva "So I'm going to fill in the position."

"You can't just keep some whelp!" said Arrathir "This is a dragon, Eva! How are you going to raise it?"

"I'll manage," said Eva "Plus, it's not like I'm gonna keep it forever. I just want to raise it until it's old enough to take care of itself."

"Looks like your maternal instincts are kicking in," joked Arrathir "Are your mammary glands swelling up yet?"

"If you don't shut up," smirked Eva "Something of yours is going to be swollen."

"You know," said Arrathir as they left the cave "Those whelps didn't look very old. They probably couldn't be left alone for very long."

"So why did their mother chase us for so long?" asked Eva. Just then, the sun was blotted out as an adult Vampiric Dragon landed in front of the Keepers. The dragon snorted at the intruders and leaned over to sniff the whelp Eva was carrying. The dragon gave a roar as he recognized the whelp's scent as his own.

"…And that's would be Junior's father," said Arrathir.

The Vampiric Dragon sorted in anger at Eva and charged at her, its mouth wide open. Both Keepers were rooted to the spot. The sight of the dragon charging them down left them paralyzed. The whelp, however, wasn't intimidated by its father. It managed to wriggle free from Eva's grasp, flopping to the ground. Picking itself up, it stood its ground against the charging dragon.

The father stopped its charge, confused by the whelp's stand. The whelp bared its teeth at its father, challenging it to come closer. Bending its head down to the whelp's eye level, the Vampiric Dragon stared unblinkingly into its youngling's eyes. The whelp withstood its father's gaze, refusing to move. It clearly expressed it refusal to allow its father to harm Eva.

The elder dragon snorted at its whelp's insolence and growled at it threateningly. The whelp trembled before its father, but stayed put. With a disdainful snort, the Vampiric Dragon turned away from the whelp and entered the cave.

"Did we just…" asked Arrathir.

"Get saved by the whelp? Yep," said Eva, picking up the whelp "Way to go, little buddy!" she told the dragon, nuzzling its snout. The whelp gave a small chirp and playfully snaked out its tongue to lick Eva's nose. "If I'm gonna keep you, you're gonna need a name."

"Well, is it a male or female dragon?" asked Arrathir.

(How can I tell, Chiruu?)

**(Well, it doesn't seem to have any male genitals so female is a good guess)**

"OK!" said Eva "I'm gonna call you 'Fire'."

"How original," remarked Arrathir sarcastically. Eva shot him one of her famous death glares and he shut up.

"We should probably head back now," said Eva "Fire's gotta be hungry."

"Why don't you just breast-feed it?" said Arrathir before running away as fast as he could. Eva took a few seconds to grasp what he'd said, but when she did, she tore off after him, uttering threats to his masculinity.

* * *

"Do you know where Chihowaido is?" asked Khell. 

"Yes," said Lu Chao "He's hiding out on a small island off the coast of Keld."

"Well," said Khell "We could travel there, find Chihowaido, defeat him in a duel and then Charles could put his life essence in stasis while we figure out what to do about Erik."

"Contain the spirit of the Keeper of White Mana?" said Chiburuu "Such a thing has never been done."

"Could it be?" asked Khell.

"In theory, yes," said Chiburuu.

"Sounds good," said Charles "As soon as the lovebirds get back, we should leave."

"Lovebirds?" asked Lu Chao "Are you referring to the Keepers of Black and Red Mana?"

"Yeah," said Charles "They're off on a 'honeymoon'," he added, even including the air quotes.

"So the two are a couple?" asked Lu Chao "Let us hope this relationship does not cloud their judgment. We will all face important decisions in the future; choices that could determine the fate of the Multiverse."

Just then, a black blur shot past them, followed by a cursing red blur. The two blurs circled around the Keepers and Lu Chao.

"They're at it again," sighed Charles "What'd he do this time?"

The blurs finally collided in a large explosion of dust. When the dust cleared, Eva was straddling Arrathir, throttling him.

"…AND THEN I'LL SHOVE YOUR EYES UP YOUR ASS SO YOU CAN WATCH ME KICK THE CRAP OUT OF YOU!" yelled Eva. She suddenly realized where they were and immediately shut up, jumping off Arrathir, her face all flushed.

"So…how was your little escapade?" asked Charles, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Oh, great!" said Eva "Even made a new friend!" She pointed to Fire, who was currently resting on her shoulders.

"A dragon whelp!" said Khell in amazement "How did you find it?"

"Long story," said Eva.

"What's its name?" asked Khell.

"Fire," said Eva "And it's a 'she.'"

"Fire?" asked Charles "That's not very original," he added, ignoring Arrathir's frantic warning gestures "Dragons are majestic creature. How about something a bit more poetic like, Hosaki?"

"Hosaki?" repeated Eva "Does it mean anything?"

"In Japanese it means 'flames' or 'the forefront of a fire,'" said Charles.

"I like it," said Eva. Plucking the whelp from her shoulders, she held her at arm's length. "From now on, your name'll be Hosaki!" Hosaki chirped in approval of her new name.

"I am pleased to meet you again, Keeper of Black Mana," said Lu Chao to Arrathir "And may I say it is an honor to finally meet the Keeper of Red Mana," he added, bowing to Eva.

"Lu Chao," said Arrathir "It's great to see you again. Listen, we've got a big problem with Chihowaido."

"I've already discussed the matter with the Keepers of Blue and Green," said Lu Chao "I know the white Keeper's location and am prepared to transport you to it."

"So if you're ready, _oshidorifuufu_ (lovebirds)," said Charles "We'll be on our way."

After gathering the last of their belongings, the four Keepers stood before Lu Chao.

"Will you be accompanying us?" asked Arrathir.

"Sadly, I must decline," said Lu Chao "I have other pressing matters I must attend to. It was a pleasure meeting you again, Keepers of Mana. I bid you good luck against the Keeper of White Mana. Good-bye."

With a firm stance, Lu Chao Planeswalked the four Keepers out of Shiv.

To be continued…

Author's Note: So Eva gets a new pet and the Keepers are off to find Chihowaido.

On another note, I'm psyched about the release of the DS Lite. I've wanted to get a DS for some time now, but I figured it'd be better to wait for the improved version before getting one. I must say, the DS Lite promises to be good. Better battery conservation, smaller frame, lighter, and when you close it, the two halves seal so stuff can't get in between a scratch the screens. One game I'd really like to see for the DS is Super Smash Bros. With the Wi-Fi capabilities, it would be an amazing game. Maple Story is also coming out for the DS and I will definitely be getting that.

Until next time…


	7. Jia

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.

* * *

**CHAPTER 7-Jia**

Jia gripped her short bow tightly in her left hand as she scanned the woods. It was late afternoon and the sun was descending in the sky, tainting the sky a reddish-orange. A light breeze ran through the woods, causing the scout to shiver. She was lightly dressed, only clad in leather armour. After all, scouts, especially female ones, weren't expected to do much fighting; their mission was merely to warn the Hunters of any threat to their homeland.

She glanced over to her two compatriots; each clad is a fashion similar to hers. The three of them were on patrol since morning and the day had passed by very slowly and uneventfully. Jia was anxious to get back to the village and rest. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of dinner. Scouts were expected to go long periods without eating and after a long day of trekking, Jia was famished.

"Jia," said one of her companions, appearing beside her in that particular sudden, stealthy way the women of the tribe had "The sun is setting. We should head back."

Jia nodded and slung her bow over her back, glad to be done with the day's work. As the three women made their way back to the village, a loud snap echoed through the woods. In a common, wordless decision, the three scouts headed in the direction of the sound. They arrived at a clearing in which four humanoids lay in a heap. The three scouts split up, each one taking cover behind a tree and observed the newcomers. Two of them had ears and tails: one a fox's, the other a rat's. Jia stared intensely at the two: who were they?

Suddenly, the yellow stone she wore around her neck began glowing a dull yellow and heating up. She gasped and looked over at the other two scouts; their stones were glowing as well. She gritted her teeth in anger. The intruders were summoners! The three scouts melted back into the woods and ran back towards the village to warn the Hunters.

* * *

"Where'd Lu Chao get his Planeswalker training?" grumbled Arrathir, extracting himself from under the pile of bodies. They'd been unceremoniously dumped in the middle of a forest. Unfortunately, they'd all appeared in mid-air, one on top of each other. As a result, they'd crashed to the ground in a heap, Arrathir ending up on the bottom. 

"Where are we?" asked Charles as he got up.

"I have no idea," said Eva "But Hosaki's hungry," she added as the whelp nuzzled her neck and made little growling sounds.

"Here," said Khell, digging through his pack and giving Eva a strip of dried meat "I know dragons prefer fresh meat, but this'll have to do for now."

"Thanks," said Eva, tearing piece of meat and offering it to her dragon. The whelp eagerly gobbled up the meat and nuzzled Eva's neck, asking for more.

"Right," said Khell as Eva kept feeding her whelp "I'm going to scout the area. If Chihowaido is hiding out here, there are bound to be traps or some kind of defence."

Breaking off from the group, Khell walked off into the forest. As he advanced, he felt slightly uneasy. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something wrong with these woods. The further he went into the forest, the more the feeling intensified, to the point of making him feel nauseated.

Deciding to find out what was the problem, Khell closed his eyes and prepared to take the pulse of the forest. This was an ability he'd stumbled upon by accident. By joining his mana to the mana of the forest, he essentially became a part of the forest and could 'listen' to the trees. Since trees were the lungs of the forest, he could judge the forest's state by the voices of the trees. Normally, a healthy forest would have trees that made a whisper-like noise as they spoke to each other in hushed voices.

As he felt his mana merging with the surrounding green mana, he was aware of a particular buzzing in his ears. This confused him slightly since he'd never experienced this before. Suddenly, a piercing scream blasted through his mind, stunning him. He swayed before falling over, twitching. A second scream caused him to cry out in pain. He had to sever the connection; something was seriously wrong here. He attempted to reintegrate his own body, but the pain made concentrating impossible. The only thing he could do was lie there, moaning as pain racked his body.

Meanwhile, Eva had finished feeding Hosaki and the whelp was contently snoozing on her surrogate mother's shoulder. The three Keepers were seated on the ground, waiting for Khell to return.

"I don't know," said Charles "I've got a bad feeling about this. Something is wrong with the mana around here; it's a lot lower than it should be, especially for a forest. The weird thing is, I can detect all the blue mana around us, yet the further I move inland, the weaker the mana gets."

"I know what you mean," said Arrathir "I feel kind of uncomfortable."

"So do I," said Eva.

"Well, there's not much we can do about it," said Charles "If Chihowaido really is here, we have to find him. He's the thorn in the side of the Awakening."

"Assuming we do defeat him," said Chiburuu "He won't be the same. Erik might end up being more of a burden than help. His aversion to magic will surely be increased from Chihowaido's betrayal."

"Still," said Arrathir "We can't just leave him. I mean, he's a dick and all, but nobody deserves what happened to him."

Charles and Eva rolled their eyes in synch. As Arrathir was about to continue, he was cut off by a scream from the woods.

"That's Khell!" said Arrathir. The three Keepers jumped up and dashed off in the scream's direction. Upon entering the woods, they found Khell collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain.

"Khell!" yelled Arrathir, shaking the green Keeper "What's going on?"

"Something's wrong with his mana!" said Charles "It keeps phasing in and out!"

"Snap out of it, Khell!" said Arrathir.

"Don't touch him!" said Charles "With his mana as unstable as it is we don't know what could happen!"

"We have to take the risk!" said Arrathir "Come on!" he added, grabbing the green Keeper and shaking him more violently. Khell's screams stopped and he blinked confusedly. "Khell!" said Arrathir "What happened?"

"The trees…screaming…" mumbled Khell, exhausted "Mana…drain…"

"Get him out of here!" said Charles "Something is draining his mana!" Charles picked Khell up and hurried out of the area.

"Come on, Eva," said Arrathir, taking off after Charles. A muffled scream made him stop and turn. He stared in horror at Eva, whose body was entrapped in a tangle of thorny vines that had sprung out of nowhere. Hosaki had apparently managed to avoid capture and stood in front of Eva, growling at the vines. "Eva!" yelled Arrathir, running back to her. He slashed at the vines with his claws, but the thick plants seemed unaffected by his blows. Eva whined in pain as the vines constricted around her body, digging the thorns deeper into her skin.

_They're going to squeeze her to death!_

Arrathir ignited his mana, hoping to burn away the vines, but the flames disappeared as soon as they appeared. Arrathir tried again, but with no success. Calling upon his mana to summon a creature, he found himself coming up blank. Something was blocking his mana.

_Chikuro! Help me!_

**_I can't, Arrathir. There is something absorbing our mana nearby. _**

_She's going to die!_

**_That is a strong probability._**

"NO!" yelled Arrathir, attacking the vines again with vigour. He clawed away at the plants, ignoring the pain as the thorns sliced his hands. Suddenly a vine sprung up and wrapped around his arm, the thorns ripping into his skin. With a roar, he managed to tear himself free before other vines could spring up to capture him.

Eva stared at him pleadingly, her pain showing through her eyes. Arrathir couldn't believe this was happening. Here he was, one of the most powerful beings in the Multiverse, and he couldn't do anything against a stupid plant!

_There's got to be something! What if I let the demon out?_

**_It wouldn't help. Without mana, there's not much you can do._**

_I need something sharper! If only I had a sword, or an axe, or a scythe…scythe…sickle! My Kusari-gama!_

Arrathir closed his eyes and prepared to attempt summoning the weapon. He didn't know if he'd have enough mana. Already, he was beginning to feel tired as the surrounding woods absorbed his mana.

_Please…if there was ever a time I needed strength, this is it. Eva is the most important person alive to me. I would sacrifice my life for her. Give me the power to save her._

Placing his palms one on top of the other, Arrathir focused all his energy on his will to save Eva. Feeling what little was left of his mana coursing through his palms, Arrathir tried to picture the kusari-gama in his mind, crafting it from the raw mana. Drawing his hands apart horizontally, he could feel the staff forming in mid-air. As the mana solidified and materialized the handle of the sickle, Arrathir opened his eyes and grabbed it in his right hand. At both ends of the handle, the mana was still present. The mana at the top expanded, flattened out, and arced out to form the sickle. At the other end, the mana stretched in a long strand with a large blob at the end. The strand divided into links, forming the chain, and the blob solidified into the weight. Arrathir was now left holding the kusari-gama.

**_You have finally managed to summon it: Kiminokatsu._**

_Eh?_

**_The weapon you are holding. Kiminokatsu. Roughly translated it means "Terrifying Night."_**

_Well, let's see what it can do!_

**_Hurry. With your current mana levels, you won't be able to keep it summoned for more than a few minutes._**

With a wild cry, Arrathir charged forwards, scythe held high. He slashed at a vine that tried to grab his arm, the weapon slicing through the plant like a hot knife through butter. The severed end flopped to the ground, oozing a thick white sap with the other end flailed wildly about. After a few more cuts, he was finally able to get near Eva.

The red Keeper was unconscious, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Arrathir could feel the mana in her body was extremely low. In desperation, he began hacking away at the vines ensnaring her body. His progress was slow since he took care not to cut Eva while freeing her. He also had to deal with the vines trying to ensnare him as well.

As Eva's body came loose, she fell forwards into Arrathir's arms. Not wasting a moment, he threw her over his shoulders and took off away from the vines. He didn't get far though. A wall of vines blocked his path back to the other Keepers. Cursing under his breath, he looked about for an exit, but all around him, the vines were returning, binding together to form an impenetrable network that surrounded the two Keepers of Mana.

_Aw, man! I hate this kind of situation! Heh, look at me, being all cocky when really I'm exhausted._

Arrathir's arms felt as heavy as lead and his legs were stiff from fatigue. In a supreme effort, he raised his kusari-gama and charged the nearest wall of vegetation, hoping to break through. Even as he slashed away, he could see it was hopeless. The growing vegetation almost immediately repaired what little damage he did to the vines. Each slash cost him another Herculean effort, and what little was left of his energy was quickly being sapped away.

Finally, he was no longer able to maintain the kusari-gama in existence and the weapon exploded into mana. Arrathir collapsed to the ground and managed to drag him and Eva to the centre of their prison where he'd left Hosaki. As the vines advanced upon them, Arrathir felt all hope leave him. This was it: he was going to die. With no mana there was nothing he could do.

"I'm sorry, Eva," he mumbled, hugging the Red Keeper's inert body as Hosaki snuggled up to Eva, her eyes wide with fear. "I let you down…again. Before we die, I wanted to know…will you still take me as your mate?" Arrathir closed his eyes and awaited the end so he could join Eva in the afterlife.

"A touching speech, but it's not over yet."

Arrathir opened his eyes and gaped in surprise when he saw Charles standing in front of him.

"Charles? Wha…?"

"Come on," said Charles "Didn't think I'd actually leave you, did you?"

;Or Eva for that matter;

"Hang on," said Charles, grabbing Arrathir and Eva's wrists. Hosaki curled up on Eva's chest, anxious not to be left behind. The air around the three Keepers glowed blue and with a rush of wind, they vanished as the vines overran the terrain on which they stood.

They landed by Khell with a bump. The green Keeper smiled weakly at them, glad to see them safe and sound. Having recovered from the unpleasant sensation of having his mana disassembled, transported over a distance at a dizzying speed, and then reassembled, all this within a fraction of a second, Arrathir checked on Eva. He was relieved to discover her mana was no longer dropping. Satisfied, the black Keeper lay back in the grass, worn out.

"What the Hell was that?" Charles asked Khell, seeing as he was the only Keeper capable of speech at the moment.

"I have never seen such a thing," said Khell "It was as if a powerful source was absorbing all the mana in the area, like a…what do you call those dead stars that suck in matter?"

"Black holes?"

"Yes," said Khell "A black hole of mana. This would explain why I felt an absence of mana in the area."

"What about those vines that attacked Eva and Arrathir?" said Charles.

"I have no explanation to that," said Khell "There are many strange things about this place. No wonder Chihowaido chose to hide here. The mana black hole is a formidable defence against summoners."

"True," said Charles "I'm knackered. Imagine if we got attacked now…"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a group of warriors burst from the forest. They were clad in simple leather trousers and metal helmets that covered their entire faces, leaving only a few slots for vision. Each wielded akimbo scimitars with a yellow stone set in the guard. They were horribly disfigured, with large scars running all over their bodies. However, they seemed unaffected by these wounds that would have crippled even the most hardened barbarians.

They advanced upon the Keepers nervously, but at the same time with hatred in their eyes. There was no mistaking their intentions, but in their current state, the Keepers could do nothing. As the warriors neared the Keepers, a wall of flames suddenly sprung up, blocking their path.

"Did you do that?" asked Charles in astonishment.

"I've never cast Wall of Fire," said Khell "The only one of us here who could have possibly cast that is…"

"Eva," said Charles, turning to look at the unconscious Keeper. Sure enough, he could see a faint red glow around her hand, a telltale sign of summoning.

"Incredible," said Khell "Even in her state of weakness, her survival instincts allowed her to subconsciously summon."

"That wall won't last forever," said Charles "We should get some creatures summoned. Can you manage anything?"

"No," said Khell "I can't even turn into my Wurm form. The transformation requires a huge mental effort. Could you teleport us all out of here?"

"Just porting Eva and Arrathir took everything out of me," said Charles "Any more and I could kill myself from over-exhaustion."

"Looks like we don't have a choice!" said Khell as the flames died down. The warriors were still there, looking alarmed. However, once the flaming obstacle was removed, they charged at the Keepers once more.

Taking a deep breath, Charles burrowed deep inside himself, trying to tap into the vast power of the Keeper of Blue Mana. After all, he held the limitless power of a God; the power to achieve anything he desired. At this moment, what Charles desired was to get all of the Keepers to safety, but was that the most reasonable choice? A nagging doubt was filling him. He knew that with his current mana he could successfully Teleport on person. However, if he attempted to port all four Keepers, there was a good chance he could end up killing them all. Wouldn't it be better to have a certainty of saving at least one Keeper rather than risking killing them all?

;Wait, what am I thinking? These are my friends! I can't just leave them! However, if I fail, that's it; the Awakening will have failed as well. The Keepers were supposed to return to restore the Multiverse. Not much we can do if we're dead. To Hell with it! I've got to take risks. Believe in yourself, Charles;

Focusing on the mana of the four Keepers in the area, Charles gathered every bit of mana available, even taking mana from his own body to help power the spell. Unfortunately, since he had no idea of their surroundings, he couldn't pinpoint their destination, which brought up a whole new problem: how could he make sure they didn't appear in the middle of a tree or over a precipice?

;I can't do this! I can't shoulder this responsibility. Teleporting without a destination in mind is a million-to-one shot!;

Suddenly, a vision flashed through Charles' mind: a waterfall crashing into a pool of water at the base of a cliff topped with lush, green ferns. The pool turned into a slow-flowing river that undulated through the woodland, disappearing into the trees from sight. The vision barely lasted a second, but somehow, all though he'd never seen the place before, Charles knew it existed.

Closing his eyes, he visualized the scene, picturing it as if he were standing there by the river. Once the image was fixed in his mind, he released the spell, fearing the worst. He felt prickles all over his body as his mana disassembled and knew that he had just sealed the fate of the Multiverse. He mentally held his breath, seeing as he no longer had lungs, and awaited the outcome.

With a blue flash, the four Keepers vanished just as the warriors came within attacking range. They reappeared a split-second later with another flash, crashing to the ground. With the last of his strength, Charles looked up to see they were by the waterfall. He smiled inwardly.

;I…did…it;

This was his last coherent thought before he passed out from sheer exhaustion.

To be continued…

Author's Note: (witty comment about the chapter) (bunch of stupid cliff-hanger related questions we all know will be answered the in next chapter) (rant about an issue) (obscure pop-culture quote)

Until next time…


	8. The Great Divide

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.

* * *

**CHAPTER 8-The Great Divide  
**

Arrathir awoke with a pounding headache. It reminded him of the time he'd gotten drunk before they left for Shiv. His head felt as if it was slowly being compressed in a vise. Groaning, he rolled over, his eyes still closed. He just wanted to fall back asleep and forget the pain, but a splash of cold water hit his face, banishing the last traces of slumber.

Arrathir's eyes opened in shock. Sputtering, he brushed the wet locks of hair out of his face and looked around. He was lying next to a stream at the base of a waterfall. Charles was kneeling with his back to him, holding his cupped hands in the stream to collect water, getting ready for another wake-up call. As Arrathir was about to protest, Charles, who had not noticed he was awake turned and flung the water at his face. Arrathir yelped at the renewed contact with the cold water.

"What was that for?" he yelled accusingly.

"Extenuating circumstances," said Charles with a shrug "Arrathir, Eva left."

"What? Where?" asked the black Keeper, jumping to his feet and scanning the area.

"It's my fault, really," said Charles "After you passed out, we got attacked by a group of warriors. I managed to teleport us out of there, but I forgot Eva's whelp. When she found out, she insisted on going back to get it. I tried to talk her out of it, mate, I did," added Charles, seeing the confused look on Arrathir's face being replaced with anger.

"YOU _WHAT_?" he yelled "For fuck's sake! How could you be so _stupid_?"

"I'm sorry, but she was adamant about getting the whelp back!" said Charles.

"You could have stopped her!" yelled Arrathir "You sent her back to the wolves! What the fuck is wrong with you? Wait," he added, his voice suddenly colder and accusing "That was your plan: since you can't have her, you made sure nobody would!"

Charles was shocked by the accusation. Arrathir had never lashed out at him like this and it was a bit of a betrayal to have your mate turn on you like that. He stared at Arrathir, the hurt evident in his eyes, but there was also contempt. He gave Arrathir one last disparaging look before turning away.

"Hey! I'm talkin' to you!" yelled Arrathir, grabbing Charles' arm.

"Fuck off, Arrathir," said Charles, tearing himself from the black Keeper's grasp "You don't deserve Eva. You have no faith in her. Quit acting like her knight in shining armor. She's not your damsel in distress." With that, Charles walked away, leaving a seething Arrathir behind.

"Oh yeah?" he yelled after Charles "Well, fuck you!" He stormed off into the forest, quickly picking up Eva's fresh scent. Putting on a burst of speed, he sped after Eva, praying he was not too late.

_How stupid can she be? Of all the idiotic, inane ideas she could have had, didn't it just have to be the one that could get her killed? Doesn't she care about what happens to her? She still doesn't seem to understand the idea of 'there's safety in numbers.' When I find her, she's getting a talk about not wandering off from the group alone! Especially here!_

**_And what are the bets she will beat the ever-living shit out of you?_**

_Chikuro! You're back!_

**_I was always here, _naki_, but I must say, you handled yourself fairly well. Pity Charles had to save your ass. Doesn't make you look too good in Eva's eyes, does it?_**

_He thinks he's so cool with his teleport spells, but really that's about all he can do. Never seen him summon a _real _creature._

**_Well, what would you expect? Blue isn't exactly an aggressive color. Chiburuu preferred to be sneaky and underhanded. Not surprising that his host inherited these characteristics._**

_You're saying he'd try to steal Eva from me?_

**_If the chance arose, you bet he would._**

_I can't believe he'd do that. He's already admitted he wouldn't come between Eva and me._

**_Face the facts, Arrathir: You've known him for what, a week at most? I knew Chiburuu for decades and let me tell you, he's a crafty one. Never can quite trust him. Anyways, back on the subject of Eva, what'll you do when she attacks you again?_**

_Run until she gives up. That would be my best option._

**_As opposed to, oh I don't know, actually _standing up _to her?_**

_If she's trying to punch my lights out, it would be kind of hard to make her listen. You know how she is._

**_For crying out loud, Arrathir! Grow some fucking balls! You're going to let her beat on you for the rest of your relationship?_**

_You don't expect me to hit her back, do you?_

**_No, but at least assert yourself! You know what you are right now? A wimp! You may not want to hurt Eva, but seeing as she chose you as her mate, you need to show her who is the alpha._**

_I don't really care who's the dominant one in our relationship._

**_For fuck's sake! OK, let me put it in simple terms: you're Eva's bitch. The girl is using you as her emotional punching bag. Every time she gets pissed, she unloads her frustration on you. Now, is that the role you want to play in your relationship?_**

_No._

**_Then show her you're not afraid of her! Sometimes, a female needs her mate to lay down the rules. Trust me, if you keep submitting to her, she's going to lose interest in you. Eva needs passion in this relationship, and that isn't going to happen if you can't even respect yourself!_**

_And how do you propose I do that without getting my teeth knocked out?_

**_First, you need to dominate her. Put her in a hold or something. Once you've got her under your control, explain exactly how you feel about her abuse and tell her you're not going to put up with it anymore. Repeat after me, "I am not Eva's punching bag."_**

_I am not Eva's punching bag._

**_Good, now just remember: if she goes for the groin, roll with the blow and exaggerate the pain. That'll get you some sympathy points and she might reconsider beating you up._**

_What? You just said I _should _stand up to her! Now you're telling me to let her beat me up?_

**_Oh no, stand up to her, but there's a 50/50 chance she'll still kick your ass. If she does, you'll live, I hope._**

_Your reassurance is a great source of comfort._

Arrathir suddenly got a good whiff of Eva's scent. He knew she was very close now. Crashing through the underbrush, he came face-to-face with Eva, who was frantically looking about the forest.

"What are _you_ doing here?" both Keepers exclaimed at the same time.

"I came to bring you back!" said Arrathir, relieved to see Eva was all right "What were you thinking, wandering off on your own! We almost got killed!"

"I have to find Hosaki!" said Eva "Charles accidentally left her behind when he teleported us."

"It's just a stupid whelp!" said Arrathir "It's not worth risking your life for it!"

"Hosaki is _not_ just some whelp!" said Eva, furiously "She needs me! How is she supposed to survive all alone without a mother?"

"Oh, so now you're her mother?" asked Arrathir, mockingly "Thought you said you'd just keep it until it was strong enough to survive on its own!"

"Oh that is _it!_" yelled Eva "Now you're just _begging_ for a beating!"

As she charged at Arrathir, the black Keeper suddenly had second thoughts about his plan. Sure, it was easy to hypothesize and plan in his head, but when faced down with a raging Eva, his bravado left him rather quickly and he looked about nervously for an escape.

_No, I can't! I'm not her punching bag!_

Eva leapt in the air for a flying roundhouse kick to Arrathir's right temple, but the back Keeper ducked the blow, Eva's foot sailing harmlessly over his head. As she landed, she spun around for a punch, but Arrathir managed to grab her wrist, stopping the fist inches from his nose. Furious, Eva swung out with the other fist, but Arrathir grabbed that wrist as well. He pulled the furious kitsune closer to him until their noses nearly touched. Eva glared daggers at him while trying to get loose.

"I've had enough," said Arrathir "Of your whole constant PMSing, beating me up for no reason, explosive attitude. You were using me, Eva; using me as your personal scapegoat, but now it is over. If you keep up the violent attitude, then I'm afraid we can't be together, because getting beaten up for no reason is not what I'm looking for in a relationship."

Eva stared at Arrathir with newfound respect. She was stunned: had Arrathir, the pushover (at least when it came to her) she'd always known finally taken a stand and decided to stand up for himself?

"What are you saying?" she huffed "You'd break up with me?"

"Yes," said Arrathir sadly "It's not the path I'd prefer, but I can't spend the rest of my life with someone who's got so little respect for me."

"I respect you!" yelled Eva "Why else would I ask you to be my mate?"

"That's not true," said Arrathir "Using me as your punching bag whenever the slightest thing goes wrong does not show respect. It shows me that you're a spoilt brat who throws a temper tantrum when things don't go her way. The decision is yours, Eva: control your temper, or we can't be together."

(I can't believe this!)

(**It seems the boy Arrathir once was it dead, but the man has finally emerged, and he's laying down the law. Arrathir must have matured quite a bit if he's willing to sacrifice his relationship with you to ensure a successful relationship)**

"If that's the way you're going to be," snarled Eva "Then we're through!" Pulling back as far as she could, she spat furiously into Arrathir's face. The Black Keeper was stunned. Eva had struck him before, but never in such a disdainful way.

Her words, as well as her actions, stuck a nerve in Arrathir. For the first time since they'd met, Eva had turned away from him. In his shock, he released her, Eva taking this opportunity to tear away from him and running off into the forest. As he watched her run away, he realized he'd just lost the love of his life. For a split second, he considered tearing after Eva and begging her to take him back.

_No, I'm not going to give her the satisfaction! _

Falling to the ground, Arrathir stared sadly in the direction that Eva had run off. Just like that, she was gone, but it was different from the time she'd died. Her last words to him flashed in his mind.

_She ended it. After all that talk about wanting to develop our relationship, she just gave up. How can she do this to me?_

Arrathir buried his face in his hands, unable to hold back the flow of tears that streamed down his face as he vented the pain of his breaking heart in a long howl. He wept bitterly, memories of Eva flooding his mind, only accentuating the pain as he realized the good times were over forever.

_Sunlight was filtering through the curtains, leaving a strip of light on the bed. Arrathir felt very rested. He'd forgotten how much a good night's sleep could do. Suddenly, he realized something warm was on him and there was an arm around him. He looked over to see Eva next to him, her head lying on his chest. Blushing furiously, he tried to move away from her, but she was partially pinning him down with her body._

…

_Arrathir turned his head to find Eva's face right next to his. Even in the darkness, he could see her blush. His throat was suddenly very dry and his heart started beating a tempo that would have put Phil Rudd to shame. He could feel Eva's warm breath on his skin. Their lips brushed timidly and Arrathir gulped, closing his eyes and awaiting the kiss._

…

"_I can't stay away from you forever," said Eva "The only way I can overcome my fear is to confront it."_

"_I don't want to hurt you, Eva," said Arrathir "If you feel uncomfortable being near me, don't do it."_

"_Idiot," said Eva, getting on Arrathir's back "As if being near you could make me uncomfortable. It's the demon I hate, not you."_

…

_Eva drew closer, seeing the uproar of emotion from Arrathir she could only but join in. In a geyser exuberant expression the two lay in harmony, quashing any atmosphere that where they lay was not long before a battlefield. Arrathir would have succumb to unconsciousness had not it not been for Eva's whispered reply._

"_I love you too..."_

_The Keeper's face lit up and he somehow found the energy to pull himself up, wrapping an arm around Eva and pulling her in for a kiss. _

…

_"A-Are you proposing?" stammered Arrathir, completely astonished. _

_ "Yes," said Eva with a smile. She captured Arrathir's lips with her own, lightly nibbling his bottom lip. "What do you think?" she asked, breaking the kiss "Will you be my mate, Arrathir Quinn?_"

…

_"Eva, I love you," said Arrathir "And someday, I want us to be mates. I have no doubt I've found my soul mate in you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."_

_"When you're ready," said Eva, tears of happiness brimming in her eyes "I'll be waiting for you, Arrathir." _

As Arrathir continued expressing his grief, a fiery rage began burning in his chest, soon consuming his entire body. Wiping his eyes, he stood up, his eyes flashing dangerously.

_Charles…_this_ is entirely your fault. I can't forgive this… _

To be continued…

Author's Note: GASP! Could it be? An update? Yep! Finally having gotten over my writer's block, I'm able to continue with the story. Apologies to all who've waited so long, but I just haven't been able to find my muse lately.

In other news, I've gotten my hands on a Nintendo DS Lite, and I must say, I am addicted. Not having owned a handheld system since the GBC, I was unsure of what to expect with the DS. That said my fears were quickly quailed. I really love my DS. Currently addicted to Mario Kart DS and planning on getting Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass when it comes out.


	9. Turn Me Loose

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.

* * *

**CHAPTER 9-Turn Me Loose**

Chihowaido impatiently tapped a clawed hand on his armrest. Ever since he'd taken over his host's body, his demonic traits had been developing much faster. The wings had come first, shortly after taking over his host. They'd allowed him to lead the other Keepers on a wild goose chase through the mountains of Shiv as they searched for Charles and his host. Compassion; it was the one trait he hated the most about humans. They instinctively sought to protect other humans, especially ones with whom they shared ties of friendship.

Soon after he'd joined Lu Chao, his weak human fingernails had grown into powerful talons, much more to his liking. His ears had begun gradually shrinking until they disappeared completely, only leaving the auditory canal. His arms were now covered in a layer of fine feathers, a precursor to the pennaceous feathers he knew would soon follow. His transformation was far from complete, but Chihowaido was pleased with the progress. What he was less pleased with was the banging sound he could hear coming from his host's Soul Room. Frowning in irritation, Chihowaido closed his eyes and retreated to his own Soul Room.

When he awoke in the room, Chihowaido was surprised with what he saw. Before having taken over his host's body, his Soul Room was nothing but an empty void. However, now he was standing in what looked like a holy shrine. There was an altar at one end with a golden chalice on it. The ground was tiled in white and green ceramic. The green tiles were set in a Möbius strip that wound around the room. In the center of the room was a small fountain with an angelic figure in it. Its wings were spread and it held a vase in its hand from which flowed crystal-clear water.

Driven by a strange need, Chihowaido cupped his hands under the falling water and took a drink. He immediately felt a burning sensation running through his body, energizing every nerve. As the feeling faded, he felt refreshed and revitalized. Opening the door to his Soul Room, he stepped out into the corridor beyond and faced his host's door.

Three metal bars sealed the door. Despite this, someone was banging against the door, trying to get out. With a wave of Chihowaido's hand, the bars disappeared and the door flew open, Erik Morlock falling to the ground. His hair was disheveled; his clothes were wrinkled and bloodstained. His fingernails were worn to the skin and caked with dried blood, most probably from his attempts to escape. He lay on the ground, groaning in pain. As he looked up and saw the Keeper of White Mana standing before him, he recoiled in horror, backing into his Soul Room and slamming the door shut.

Chihowaido wrenched the door open and walked into the room. Darkness surrounded him on all sides. Straining his hearing, he could hear a whimper coming from one side of the room. Snapping his fingers, Chihowaido caused one of the extinguished torches to flare up, casting a pale flickering light around the room. He was shocked: the room was an absolute mess. Everything that had once been in the room was shattered and lay strewn about the room. Looking back at the door, he saw it was streaked with blood from his host's desperate attempts to open the door.

Advancing into the room, Chihowaido headed for the hunched form of his host. Erik was curled in the fetal position, his back to the Keeper. He was rocking back and forth, banging his head against the wall. As he heard Chihowaido's footsteps approaching, he shrieked, "Get away from me!"

"Pathetic," muttered Chihowaido "You really thought you could escape your destiny by pretending it didn't exist. Unfortunately for you, destiny has a way of coming back to bite you in the ass, which is exactly what happened."

"Why…?" moaned Erik.

"Why?" snorted Chihowaido, grabbing Erik by his collar and turning him around so they were face-to-face "Because, like it or not, you are the Keeper of White Mana. It is your duty to protect the Multiverse from any threat, and Chikuro is the biggest threat of all. Since you were inept for the part, I did what had to be done."

Dropping Erik to the ground, the Keeper of White Mana paced back and forth across the room, his hands clasped behind his back.

"You are young," he said "You are fortunate not to have experienced what I have; the horrors of war, the destruction _ghells_ leave in their wake, the agony of betrayal…Events are unfolding that will cause history to repeat itself. Once again, the Multiverse will be shaken by the might of the Keepers."

"But…the prophecy…" said Erik "The Keepers were to return to rebuild, not destroy."

"The prophecy didn't take into account the treacherous nature of the _ghell_!" spat Chihowaido "Chikuro's host will be drawn to the same path as he was; the need for power will corrupt him. It is the nature of humans. Always you seek to elevate yourselves above others. For a _ghell_ it is second nature; to attain power through any means, putting all other interests aside. Then there's the fact he shares his soul with Chikuro; no doubt his mind has further been corrupted by the black Keeper's."

"Fine then!" said Erik "Know what? You're so eager to stop him; I'll help! Just turn me loose."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," said Chihowaido "You see, upon my takeover, you subconsciously erected mental barriers to prevent my consciousness from overwhelming yours. If this hadn't happened, our two beings would have merged and you would have, in essence, disappeared. You have locked yourself into your mind and only you have the key."

"Wait a minute!" said Erik "You did this to me; you should have a way of undoing it!"

"You brought this upon yourself," said Chihowaido "It's up to you to get out of this mess."

"_I _did this?" yelled Erik "You fucking took over my body!"

"If you'd accepted me straight away," said Chihowaido "None of this would have happened."

"Why are you so freaking eager for me to accept you?" asked Erik "You have control of my body."

"Without both out souls, our power is incomplete "As I'm sure the other Keepers have told you, you cannot properly awake unless you accept me."

"You think I'd accept you now?" shouted Erik "_You_ are the one responsible for this! I was actually beginning to accept my powers! I figured, what was the point of having these powers and not using them? I was even starting to _enjoy_ this whole Keeper business! A few more weeks and I might have even considered accepting you, for crying out loud! Then you had to come along and ruin everything! You are supposed to represent the essence of white, but you're no better than a _ghell_!"

A resounding smack echoed through the room. Erik fell to the ground, clutching his cheek in pain.

"Don't you _ever_," said the spirit, standing menacingly over him "Compare me to that offal!"

Something flared up inside Erik. He was at the end of his rope. His imprisonment had worn his patience to its limit and now his captor added injury to insult. Erik Morlock was not one to go down without a fight and he'd be dammed if this would be the first time.

Shakily getting to his feet, he glared hatefully at Chihowaido. Making as if he was about to turn away from the Keeper, he clenched his fists, turning back and striking out at Chihowaido with a solid right hook. The Keeper was caught unprepared and took the blow full on, reeling backwards. Erik didn't give him time to recover, tacking the spirit to the ground. Grabbing the spirit's head, he slammed his face into the stone floor, Chihowaido's beak taking most of the impact. Erik felt grim satisfaction as he heard the spirit's beak crack.

Dazed, the white Keeper lashed out blindly with his left hand, catching Erik in the shoulder. Erik cried out in pain as the talons dug into his skin, leaving four bloody gashes. Chihowaido elbowed him in the eye, knocking him off the spirit's back.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" said Chihowaido, getting up.

"Taking a stand!" yelled Erik "I'm not letting anyone control me, least of all you!"

"What do you hope to achieve by this?" asked Chihowaido "You have no chance to stand up to me. My consciousness is clearly stronger than yours, and you're still terrified of me. Both these elements work against you."

"What I hope to achieve?" asked Erik "You're right: I'm afraid of you. You took over my body, essentially raping me in the process. However, I can't keep hiding from my fear. To conquer it, I must face it head-on! I don't hope to win this fight, but I hope to show you that I'm not going to take this abuse lying down!"

"You come at me, expecting to lose?" said Chihowaido "I have to admire your courage; your sense of reason however, leaves a lot to be desired."

"Come on!" said Erik, charging at Chihowaido. He swung for the Keeper's head, but Chihowaido grabbed his arm, flipping Erik painfully onto his back.

"You're slow," said Chihowaido "I saw that coming a mile away."

Groaning, Erik got up. Charging at Chihowaido once again, he directed a punch at Chihowaido's face. As the Keeper grabbed his wrist, Erik brought his right foot up, kicking the spirit in the face. Chihowaido was sent flying into the wall behind him, landing heavily on the floor.

"If you really are me," said Erik "Then you should remember I trained in martial arts for a few years!"

"Don't get cocky," said Chihowaido, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he got up.

The two combatants circled each other, looking for an opening. Erik was on the defensive, ready to block an eventual attack. Finally, Chihowaido stepped forwards and swung out, aiming for Erik's temple. The Keeper managed to parry the blow, taking a jab at Chihowaido. The spirit dodged the punch, retorting with a kick to Erik's chest. Erik was able to catch Chihowaido's foot before contact and he pushed the Keeper away.

Chihowaido came back, jabbing at Erik, who managed to slip under the punches. Seeing his strategy had no effect, the spirit rushed Erik, forcing the Keeper back against the wall. Erik managed to sidestep a powerful punch, the spirit's fist connecting with the wall. Erik took advantage of Chihowaido's split-second of distraction to deliver a hook to the spirit's jaw. Chihowaido reeled back, clutching his bruised jaw.

"Just a scratch," he commented, casting a Healing Salve on himself "And don't think of using mana," he added, "In your current state, your mana is very limited, whereas I have a virtually limitless supply of it."

Erik approached Chihowaido, sweeping out with his foot in an attempt to trip the spirit, but Chihowaido saw the attack coming and jumped over it, kicking Erik in the face as he went up. It was Erik's turn to stumble backwards, blood tricking from his beak. Chihowaido's next punch sent him flying and he crashed into the floor.

Erik's entire body was in pain. He tried to get to his feet, but his muscles wouldn't obey him. He lay there, breathing heavily as Chihowaido approached.

"You've got guts," he said, "I'll grant you that. Now that this nonsense is over, I'll be off." The spirit turned away, heading for the door.

"Wait," he heard Erik say. Turning, he was amazed to see Erik standing "This isn't over," said Erik.

"You haven't had enough?" said Chihowaido, slightly confused. Why was he doing this to himself?

"I'll tell you when I've had enough!" roared Erik, charging at the Keeper. He unleashed a flying roundhouse kick at Chihowaido, but the spirit ducked, Erik crashing into the ground again. He somehow managed to pull himself up again.

"Enough!" said Chihowaido "If you continue, you risk severe damage to yourself."

"I told you," said Erik "I'm going to conquer my fear! I don't care how painful it is; I'm prepared to do it!"

"Stop," said Chihowaido casting Pacifism as Erik stumbled towards him. Erik fell to the ground, passing out from his efforts. Chihowaido cast a few more Healing Salves to repair the damage he'd done to his host before leaving the room, the metal bars reappearing on the door. As he re-entered his own Soul Room, Chihowaido reflected on what had happened.

"It seems," he muttered to himself "That my host is not as weak as I thought."

To be continued…

Author's Note: Yep, update, finally. Blame work, video games, or whatever else you want. I dread to think about what updates will be like when I get to university. Meh, I'll manage something.

Until next time…


	10. Reality Check

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.  
--- **  
CHAPTER 10- Reality Check**

_No! This cannot be happening! Everything was going along marvelously until now. The black and blue Keepers' friendship is being tested. The bonds between them are in jeopardy and I can only hope that their trust can be re-woven. As well, the red Keeper, in her rage, has severely damaged her relationship with her mate. I hope he can find it in his heart to forgive her for this and that they may further solidify their relationship._

_--- _

_I couldn't be more delighted with this turn of events. With dissention spreading among the Keepers, they will be severely weakened, making his task all the more easier. They are showing their true colors; the pieces are falling into place. Even the strongest chain will give under the pressure, and as we move closer the pressure can only increase._

_--- _

"Is Eva all right?" Khell asked Arrathir as he returned to the waterfall.

Arrathir shot the green Keeper a venomous look before replying in a monotone voice, "She's fine." He glared at Charles who was standing with his back to a tree, but Charles ignored him, not even acknowledging his presence.

"Arrathir, can I speak to you in private?" asked Khell, beckoning to the black Keeper to follow him.

"Whatever," grunted Arrathir, following Khell into the forest.

"OK, what is going on?" demanded Khell once they were out of earshot "You fly off the handle at Charles and now you come back looking like the entire Multiverse is against you!"

"Eva and I had…a disagreement," mumbled Arrathir, stubbornly refusing to look at Khell.

"Where is she?"

"Looking for her stupid whelp," said Arrathir.

"And why aren't you helping her?" asked Khell "You were so worried about her a while ago when you ran off to find her."

"Eva doesn't need me," said Arrathir "She can take care of herself."

It was now clear to Khell that something had gone terrible wrong. Arrathir's sudden attitude change and his new apparent disregard for Eva's safety told him that there was more to this than Arrathir was telling him. However, the green Keeper knew not to probe his friend.

"Well," he said "As soon as Eva gets back, we should get moving. I'm really starting to hate these woods; feels like we're perpetually being watched."

"I hear you," said Arrathir as the two headed back for the waterfall.

---

(Stupid Arrathir! Stupid idiot! Stupid, stupid, stupid…)

Eva continued mentally cursing Arrathir while she stomped through the forest, searching for Hosaki. So far, she hadn't even succeeded in locating the whelp's mana signature and this only served to further irritate her. Curiously, she felt no guilt or pain at having ended her relationship with Arrathir.

(What was I thinking, taking him as my mate? He's too weak and would never have been a good mate for me)

**(How can you say that with everything you've seen him do for you? He _died_ for you, Eva)**

(Yes, but something about him has changed. He's…well, I can't quite place my finger on it, but something is different)

**(Are you sure what you did was the right thing?)**

(Yes! Why did he force that choice onto me?)

**(Standing up to you was probably the bravest thing he's done, Eva. It takes courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to those you love)**

(What the Hell is his problem? Why'd he go all weird all of a sudden?)

**(Face it, Eva: you haven't exactly been the best girlfriend. Multiple fractures are hardly what could be classified as 'a loving touch')**

(OK, so maybe I tend to go a little overboard…)

**(Often for no reason at all)**

(Well, it's not my fault! I just get so angry when he tries to make me do what he wants!)

**(Arrathir was merely trying to assert himself. His male instincts are telling him he can no longer allow you to push him around. It is a fact you are going to have to accept if you want to be his mate. Male demons seek dominance)**

(Well screw Arrathir! I don't need him! I'm powerful enough to take care of myself. Before, I stuck with him because I had no idea what was going on, but now that I'm a Keeper, I don't need his protection any more!)

**(Look within yourself, Eva. You'll see that is not true)**

Rolling her eyes, Eva retreated into her Soul Room. When she awoke inside, she immediately noticed the poster of Arrathir had changed from last time. This time it depicted Arrathir facing down an enormous shadow. He was grinning confidently and both his hands were wreathed in black flames. Behind Arrathir stood a young girl clutching onto his leg. She was peeking around his leg at the shadow, her eyes wide with fright. As Eva stared at the girl, she realized it was herself. Deep down inside she was a frightened little girl and Arrathir was her protector; her knight in shining armor.

(All my anger, my random busts of violence towards him; they were just an act to hide how scared I really was and because I didn't want to admit how much I needed Arrathir)

Eva fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes, guilt racking her body as she recalled what a bitch she'd been to Arrathir. She had hurt him, both physically and emotionally over and over again.

(Any other guy would haven given up on me, but not Arrathir. No matter what I did or how badly I hurt him, he just kept coming back. Being the bitch I am, I took him for granted. I'll bet he hates me now. What I did back there was probably the most hurtful thing I've ever done to him, because he really didn't deserve that. He was just looking out for me, as always)

**(I did warn you)**

Eva looked up to see Chiruu standing beside her.

"What can I do?" Eva asked "I don't want to lose Arrathir, but I just keep hurting him because I can't control my anger."

"Nobody said this relationship would be easy, Eva. What with your explosive temper and his clumsiness it is expected you'll meet quite a few bumps on the road."

"Is there any way to control my anger?" asked Eva.

"You're a _shi_ (red summoner)," said Chiruu "Your _g'imu_ naturally makes you emotional. What you need to do is find a way to channel your anger so as not to keep taking it out on Arrathir. Right now, what is more important is that you talk with Arrathir. Apologize for your actions and hope he can find it in his heart to forgive you…again."

"Do you think he will?"

"Arrathir seems to have a large amount of forgiveness in store for you. However, this time you may have gone too far."

"Yes, I know," said Eva miserably "I wouldn't blame him if he didn't forgive me."

"Be brave," said Chiruu "You know Arrathir loves you. It might take a long time to gain his forgiveness, but he can't hate you forever."

"Right," said Eva, wiping her eyes with her sleeve "Thanks, Chiruu."

"I had problems in my relationship with Chikuro," said the spirit "I know what it is like."

Awakening in the real world, Eva set out to make amends with Arrathir when she remembered what had brought her out here in the first place.

(Hosaki…)

**(Eva, now's not the time to go looking for your whelp. The longer you wait to apologize, the more Arrathir's animosity towards you will grow)**

(I can't just leave her out here!)

**(It's up to you, Eva. What is more important to you: Arrathir or Hosaki?)**

(I can't make that choice! Either way, I'm losing someone who is precious to me)

**(Life is full of difficult choices, Eva. Ultimately, the outcomes of these choices can have a great impact on our future or, conversely, none at all. Which of your current options do you think will shape your future?)**

Eva looked longingly ahead of her. Maybe Hosaki was just over the next hill, or behind the next tree. If she just kept walking a bit longer, she could find her. However, she knew this mindset was deceptive. If she continued going 'just a bit farther,' she would eventually end up lost somewhere in the woods and if she wandered into another patch of those vines, Arrathir wouldn't be around to save her this time. Crushed, Eva listened to her reason and turned tail, heading back for the waterfall.

(I'm sorry, Hosaki…)

Suddenly, she heard a branch snap somewhere behind her. Spinning around, she scanned the woods: nothing. She knew she'd heard something. Perhaps it had just been a critter, but Eva's nose told her otherwise. She could smell humans nearby, at least six of them. They were spread in a horseshoe pattern around Eva and were closing in on her, obviously aiming to trap her.

Eva mentally debated if she should make a run for it or stay put and fight. Attempting to escape could allow the enemies to track her to the other Keepers, but they'd stand more of a chance as a group. She had no idea what she was against, so it was best to retreat and regroup.

The humans were closer now; they'd managed to maneuver around her, cutting off her escape route. Eva gulped nervously as she realized her only option was to fight her way out. She flexed her claws, trying to determine where the first attack would come from. Sweat beaded on her forehead as the tension grew. Her nose was suddenly assaulted with the putrid stench of rotting flesh. She reeled, overwhelmed by the disgusting odor. She began to feel her knees shaking, though it wasn't from the smell. Her mana seemed to be leaving her body, just as it had when the vines had attacked her.

Plugging her nose, Eva looked up to see a man stepping out from behind a tree. He was clad in a simple loincloth and wore an iron helmet that covered his entire head, save for a t-shaped slot in the front and he was armed with a short metal scimitar. What really shocked Eva was the rest of his body. He was fairly muscular, but there were large sores all over his body, most of them oozing with pus. The man glared hatefully at her and bellowed something in an incomprehensible language. This was obviously the signal to attack, as several other warriors sprung from the woods, charging towards Eva.

Eva tried calling upon her mana to unleash her Blistering Firecat at the men, but she felt so weary she was unable to focus sufficiently to gather the necessary mana, let alone summon the creature. It was evident that her mana was too low for summoning.

Eva bolted, rushing towards the warriors. As she approached them, she could feel herself becoming weaker as more mana left her body.

(Somehow, they can drain mana…)

In a supreme effort, Eva leapt over the men, landing heavily on the ground. She stumbled; her legs giving out from her fatigue, but was soon back up and hightailing it back towards the Keepers. The warriors weren't about to give up so easily however and they pursued her, moving surprisingly quickly despite their wounds.

A sharp pain shot through Eva's right shoulder. She cried out as her shoulder suddenly became numb and cold. Turning her head, she saw an arrow had embedded itself in her collarbone. Growling, she went to tear it out, but the shaft broke off, leaving the arrowhead embedded in her flesh. The coldness and numbness were gradually traveling down her arm, soon making her unable to move her right arm from the elbow up.

(The arrows must be poisoned. Let's hope Khell has some good antidotes.

Eva was aware the warriors were catching up to her. She tried speeding up, but fatigue seemed to be catching up with her. Her feet felt like lead and she had trouble keeping her eyes open. The poison seemed to be spreading and her right arm was now completely numb. Despite her demon healing factor, the wound in her shoulder was still bleeding profusely. This worried her: who were these warriors? If this island was so inhospitable for summoners, why had they been sent here? More arrows whizzed past her head, urging her to speed up.

She finally came upon the river and followed it back to the waterfall. She was now extremely tired and stumbled her way along, her eyes half-closed in fatigue. Breaking through the trees, she fell to the ground and began lazily crawling towards the Keepers.

"Eva!" said Arrathir as she came in view. He rushed to her side, the anger he'd felt towards her immediately replaced by concern. "What happened?"

"Hunters…" muttered Eva "Tired…"

"Her mana is extremely low!" said Khell, arriving at Eva's side "Hang on, what's this?" he added, noticing the wound on her shoulder.

"Arrow…" said Eva.

Khell placed his hands over the wound and immediately yelped out in pain, pulling back as if he'd been burnt. "Whatever is in there is absorbing her mana!" he said "We need to remove it! Eva, this is probably going to hurt. Forgive me, but if we don't get the arrowhead out, you're going to die."

Eva muttered a vague response.

"We're losing her!" said Arrathir "Do it!"

"I have to get my dagger," said Khell "The arrowhead is deeply embedded. I'm going to need to cut through the skin."

"She's fucking dying!" yelled Arrathir "I'll do it!" With that, he plunged a claw into the wound, digging around in the flesh for the arrowhead. Eva gave a small gasp of pain as she felt Arrathir cutting through her flesh, but she was too tired to really care. "Hang on, hang on," said Arrathir, still digging around "Don't die on me, Eva! Wait, I got it!" he announced, pulling out a bloodied triangular rock. It was glowing a dull yellow and he immediately dropped it, yelling in pain as Khell had done. "What the fuck is that thing? It felt like it was draining the mana from my hand."

"Amazing," said Khell, bending over to examine the stone "This stone absorbs and stores mana within its core."

"You can obsess over the stone later!" said Arrathir "Heal Eva!"

"Oh, of course," said Khell, casting a Stream of Life on Eva "Her mana has stabilized, but it isn't regenerating," he frowned.

"Is she going to be all right?" asked Arrathir.

"I can't say for sure," said Khell "I don't like the fact her mana is not returning. I have no idea what is causing this, seeing as we removed the arrowhead. If we can't figure out what is keeping her mana from returning, I can't guarantee she'll make it."

"Fuck!" cursed Arrathir, clenching his fists. He punched a nearby tree in frustration, his fist leaving an indentation in the bark. Breathing heavily to control himself, he suddenly picked up a strange scent. "Humans coming from the west," he said "They smell strange."

"Charles!" called Khell. The blue Keeper shifted his gaze from the waterfall to look at the other Keepers. "Can you manage another Teleport?"

"I doubt it," said Charles "That last one wore me out."

"How about an illusion to make it look like we're not here?"

"I'm spent," said Charles "Any more and you'll have two comatose Keepers on your hands."

"You won't have much of a choice!" said Arrathir "Here they come!"

With an inhuman roar, the warriors burst into view, charging at the Keepers. Arrathir caught an arrow that buzzed past his head. As he felt a burning sensation in his hand, he felt his blood boil. These were the bastards who'd shot Eva. Flexing his claws, Arrathir grinned: he would make them pay dearly.

As Arrathir ran at the hunters, Khell quickly cast a Fog, the area becoming engulfed in a thick grey blanket. Confused cries sprung from everywhere as the hunters suddenly found themselves fighting an invisible enemy.

"The fog will benefit Arrathir," Khell muttered "With his demon senses he can strike before the hunters see him."

Arrathir stood in the mist, his eyes closed as he focused his senses. This was the first time he was relying solely on his hearing and sense of smell to fight. All around him, he could hear the hunters moving about, cursing in their native language as they sought to get out of the fog. He quivered in anticipation as he heard one coming from his left. As the hunter passed by Arrathir, the Keeper lashed out with his claws, ripping through the hunter's leg. He went down, screaming in pain. Arrathir's nose was full of the smell of blood. He breathed deeply, taking in the rich scent before ending the man's suffering with a swipe through his jugular.

Curiously, he felt no remorse over killing the man. After all, the hunters had made their intentions clear when they attacked Eva, so it was kill or be killed. Arrathir had experienced death twice already and he didn't think fate would be so generous on the third time. As well, he _had_ sworn to protect Eva and he would uphold this oath, even if they were no longer a couple. What as the point of having all this power and not using it to protect the one he loved?

Suddenly, Arrathir felt weak, as if a wave of fatigue had just washed through his body. Falling to his knees he noticed something odd about the hunter's bloody leg: There were several stones embedded in the flesh of the thigh. Reaching over, he touched one, feeling the same sensation of mana draining from his body as with the arrowhead he'd extracted from Eva.

_What the fuck is wrong with this place?_

The effects of the stones were already kicking in. His mind was taken over by a fog thicker than the one that surrounded the area. As Arrathir struggled to make sense of what was going on, he heard something behind him. Before he could turn around, his head exploded in pain as he was violently struck on the back of the skull.

Khell continued to feed mana into the patch fog until he felt his mana reaching dangerously low levels. Upon severing the mana ties, the fog began to dissipate, revealing the battlefield hidden within it. Khell watched, breathless, as details came into view. Two figures emerged from the fog. As they came closer, Khell saw, to his horror, that it was one of the hunters holding Arrathir's inert body in front of him. The hunter had his scimitar to Arrathir's throat and shouted out something that Khell did not comprehend. The hunter pointed his scimitar at Khell, and then at the ground. He made a slicing motion across Arrathir's throat. When Khell still didn't comprehend, he repeated the procedure.

"What does he want?" wondered Khell.

"He wants us to surrender or he'll kill Arrathir," said Charles, who'd been watching "If they wanted to kill us, they wouldn't have bothered taking him hostage."

"I don't think we have a choice," said Khell "These people may know how to help Eva. My mana is too low to do anything and you're in no shape to summon. I say we throw in the towel and wait for our mana to return while trying to find out what is going on with this island."

Nodding, Charles placed his hands on his head to indicate his surrender and Khell imitated him. More hunters appeared from the mist, surrounding the Keepers. Khell and Charles suddenly felt fatigue take over their bodies as two hunters approached, each holding a glowing yellow stone in their hands. The two Keepers fell to the ground, their already low mana further reduced by the power of the stones.

The hunters each picked up one of the inert bodies and slunk off into the forest.

To be continued…

Author's Note: Wohoo! First university update!


	11. Out of the frying pan

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.

* * *

**Chapter 11-Out of the frying pan...  
**

Khell came to with a groan. He was lying facedown on bare dirt. His body ached all over and he had a killer headache to boot. Opening his eyes, he squinted into the darkness that surrounded him. From his low angle of vision, it was difficult to determine where he was, so he decided to get up for a better look, but he felt so exhausted he was unable to muster up the energy necessary to stand. He did manage to roll over, and found himself staring up at a low domed roof.

As he stared at the roof, Khell found if he turned his head just a bit to the left, he could see the unconscious form of Charles lying further away. Khell could feel his mana: it was faint, but he was alive. As Khell stared at him through the gloom, he noticed a metallic band around Charles' neck. Reaching up to his own neck, Khell found there was a metal choker strapped around his neck as well. Running his fingers around, he suddenly winced in pain as the burning sensation he'd felt from the arrowhead shot through his hand. There was a stone embedded in the front of the collar and Khell could now feel his mana slowly ebbing from his body.

"Charles," Khell called out hoarsely "Charles…"

Charles mumbled something and stirred, but otherwise gave no indication he'd acknowledged Khell's call.

"What is going on?" mumbled Khell.

"I have no idea," said Arrathir's voice "But I don't like it."

Khell turned over in surprise, seeing Arrathir standing by him. He, unlike Khell and Charles, was not wearing a collar, but there was a bloody wound on his neck.

"How did you get it off?" asked Khell.

"They knew we were summoners," said Arrathir, with a smirk "But they forgot about our demonic strength." Leaning down, he grabbed the metal band and tore it off, leaving several gashes on the green Keeper's neck. "Sorry about that," he added, as an afterthought as he tossed the broken collar aside.

"I'll live," said Khell, rubbing his neck. His fatigue had left him and he was able to stand. He took a look at their prison: it was a domed hut made of mud and some sort of vegetable fibers mixed to create crude cement. As he approached the wall nearest to him for a closer look, he felt his fatigue returning and quickly backed away. He understood now; there were mana-sucking stones embedded in the walls.

"They sure know what they are doing," he mused "How could they have been so prepared?"

"I'll tell you how," snarled Arrathir, tearing Charles' collar off "Lu Chao fucking double-crossed us."

"How do you figure?" asked Khell.

"Well, think about it," said Arrathir "Why else would he send us here? I'll bet Chihowaido isn't even on this fucking island! Lu Chao knew these freaks inhabited the island and he sent us here on purpose! He's trying to kill us!" he roared, his eyes flashing red as his demon manifested itself through the Keeper's anger.

"This is a trial," said Khell, staring sternly at Arrathir "Lu Chao works in mysterious ways. Much of what he does makes little or no sense at first, but it is all part of his plan. He is testing us, to see if we truly are the Keepers of Mana. The Keepers were semi-Gods so we should be able to get out of this."

"Do I look like I give a fuck?" spat Arrathir as he began pacing around the center of the room. "All I know is, because of him, we're in this mess and Eva almost died! Where the fuck is she?"

"Do you even know if she's alive?" asked Khell.

Arrathir paused. "Yes," he finally said "I know she is. I can't sense her mana because of the stones in the walls, but my intuition tells me so." He resumed his pacing "Yo, wake up, Charles," he added, nudging the blue Keeper with his foot.

"Ugh," groaned Charles, opening an eye. Sitting up, he clutched his head and winced in pain "I haven't felt this shitty since that time I went on that drinking binge. Where the Hell are we?" he added, taking a look around.

"It's no use," said Khell, sensing Charles taking a mana reading "I've tried penetrating the dome, but the stones are creating a powerful interference field that blinds us from the outer world."

"Can't we just break through the wall?" asked Arrathir.

"No," said Khell "The stones appear to be evenly spread out over the surface of the dome. They only have a certain range of influence, so if we stay in the middle, we won't be able to summon, but at least our mana will remain stable. If we approach the walls, our mana will most likely rapidly drop and we'd pass out before we could break out. Even if we did manage to break through the wall, I am sure they have guards on the outside and we'd be so exhausted from our efforts to escape that we wouldn't last very long."

"This is bullshit!" yelled Arrathir, throwing his arms up in exasperation "We're trapped here because of a few fucking stones? Hey, assholes!" he yelled at the walls, as if whoever was outside could hear him "Do you know who I am? I'm the fucking Keeper of Black Mana! I've overcome death, battled Planeswalkers and defeated them, and faced the wrath of a woman! Don't fuck with me!"

"Even if they heard you," said Charles "I doubt they understand English."

"Fuck you!" said Arrathir, reeling on the Keeper "We're in this mess because of you! If you had stopped Eva from going back, those freaks wouldn't have followed her back to us!"

"And who saved your sorry arse when you were surrounded by those vines?" asked Charles "Who Teleported us all to safety?"

"You only did that because you've got a crush on Eva," growled Arrathir "Too bad she's mine," he added with a grin.

"You're not worthy of Eva's love," spat Charles "You see her for what she is, not who she is. You see her only as a prospective mate; someone to be conquered."

"Conquered?" laughed Arrathir "I already have her! She was all but begging me for sex a few nights ago, and don't you _dare_ insinuate I do not love Eva," he added, his eyes flashing dangerously. "She is more precious to me than anything in the Multiverse!"

"Stop it, you two," said Khell sternly "Quarrelling isn't going to help our present situation. Let's not point fingers here. We're in this mess together and we need to work together to get out of it. Now quit acting like children! Let us assess the situation and see if we can come up with anything to get us out of here."

"Shut up, Khell," said Arrathir "You're always acting like you're the leader of our little group; as if you're so wise just because you're the more experienced of us."

Khell grabbed Arrathir by his collar and pulled the Keeper's face close to his. "You _will_ calm down," he ordered.

"Fine, whatever," shrugged Arrathir, freeing himself and sitting down.

"All right," said Khell "Let's recap: we've been Planeswalked to an island inhabited by these humans who seem to be well-versed in anti-summoner combat. As well, the island seems to have certain areas that drain our mana. Given that these hunters are armed with mana-sucking stones, I'd say these 'mana black holes' are created by underground deposits of these stones. We've been taken captive by these hunters who obviously have some motive for wanting us alive."

"I tell you," said Arrathir "It's Lu Chao. I'll bet he's in league with the One and sent us here on purpose. That way, they can just come and get us when we're at our weakest."

"We've been over this," said Khell "Lu Chao is on our side."

"I don't mean to side with Arrathir," said Charles "But it does seem a bit fishy. We end up on this island where supposedly Chihowaido is hiding and instead is just _happens_ to be a summoner's worst nightmare."

"Lu Chao knew what he was doing when he sent us here," said Khell "As for Chihowaido, he may or may not be on this island. If he isn't, then perhaps he sent us here to help us increase our abilities before we face Chihowaido once again."

"Did Lu Chao take into account Eva and I almost dying?" snapped Arrathir.

"To save us, Charles had to further develop his teleportation skills," said Khell "Something which might come in handy in the future. As for you, Arrathir, to save Eva you managed to successfully summon your weapon. You seem to reach your full potential when you are fighting for the one you love. Lu Chao is trying to get us to overcome our limits by putting us in life-or-death situations so that we may become more powerful; a step closer to the complete awakening of the Keepers."

"A trial by fire," said Charles "As of yet, we have not had the chance to fully display our power. We've been limited to occasional duels and skirmishes, but now that we've been essentially stripped of our powers, we need to tap into the power of the Keepers to overcome this new obstacle."

"Well, at least you get it, Charles," said Khell, staring reproachfully at Arrathir, who merely rolled his eyes "All we can do for now is wait and see what these hunters want with us."

* * *

Eva awoke to the feeling of a wet cloth pressing against her forehead. She groaned in pain as she realized she had a splitting headache. The cloth was suddenly removed and she heard two people talking in hushed whispers next to her. She opened her eyes and found herself lying in a low bed inside a dark room. The mattress was soft and seemed to be stuffed with some kind of straw-like material. The pillow under her head was also filled with a similar substance. 

As she sat up to get a better look around, another pain shot through her shoulder. Clasping a hand to her injured shoulder, she collapsed back into her pillow and a small cry of pain. Looking at her shoulder, she saw that it had been bandaged. The events of the day suddenly came back to her. Immediately, she tried sensing Arrathir's mana, but was unable to.

Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, she stumbled out of bed, collapsing to the ground from fatigue. She felt a gentle arm grab her and help her up. Looking at her benefactor, Eva saw she was a young girl dressed in a simple brown dress. She had long black hair set into a plait and deep blue eyes.

"Where am I?" mumbled Eva as the girl began helping her back to her bed "Where is Arrathir?" The girl looked apologetically at her and shook her head, grabbing a cloth and gently dabbing Eva's brow. Eva tried to protest, but fatigue took her over and she closed her eyes, giving in to sleep.

* * *

"That's it!" said Arrathir, getting up. The Keepers had been sitting in silence for the past hour, awaiting their fate. "I'm sick of waiting around and not being able to do anything! Eva could be dying right now and I'm not able to help her!"

"Well, if you have some sort of genius plan to break us out of here, we'd be _thrilled_ to hear it," said Charles sarcastically.

"I'll tell you what my plan is!" said Arrathir "I'm fucking getting us out of here!" With that, he charged at the nearest wall, smashing his fist into the dried mud. He screamed in pain as the stones embedded in the wall cut into his hand, leaving several bloody wounds. He could feel the now-familiar numbness crawling all over his body as the stones began sucking out his mana at an alarming rate. Falling to his knees, Arrathir brought his bloodied fist around to hit the wall again, but this time, with his strength rapidly leaving him, he barely touched the wall before collapsing. The world swam before his eyes and he could feel the cold grip of death ensnaring his body.

_I won't be defeated by a bunch of fucking stones!_

With an inhuman effort, Arrathir struggled to his feet, blood pulsing in his temples. He threw himself at the wall, hoping to use his body weight to break through it, but all he achieved was cutting open his shoulder when he hit the sharp edge of a rock. Arrathir howled in anger and pain as he stumbled backwards on shaky legs, clutching his bleeding shoulder. He snarled angrily at the wall and charged again and clawed at the mud, his claws spurting blood as they encountered the stones in the walls.

Charles and Khell watched, horrified, as Arrathir's suicidal attack on the wall continued, the black Keeper refusing to back down, even as his injuries increased in severity. He attacked the wall with seemingly increased vigor, unhindered by his injuries.

"Where is he getting all this energy?" asked Khell "His mana should be completely drained by now."

"He is feeding off the demon's power," said Charles "The demon has near-limitless mana, both through his demonic power and the Keeper's power."

"Shouldn't we be helping him?" asked Khell.

"If he hasn't passed out by now, his plan may actually work," said Charles "Plus, rescuing him would require getting near those stones."

Arrathir finally collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely and completely out of breath. The area where he'd attacked the wall was covered in cracks and gashes, but still appeared stable. The two other Keepers saw the exposed rocks now glowed a dull yellow. As Charles and Khell watched, the glow intensified until its brightness forced them to shield their eyes. Charles and Khell could feel a tremendous amount of mana emanating from the stones. The mana grew even more until, with a thunderous bang, the stones exploded, sending rock shrapnel through the enclosed area, scratching the two Keepers. The explosion set off a chain reaction that caused the entire dome to vaporize in a matter of seconds, sending up an enormous cloud of dust.

As the dust cleared, Khell rushed to Arrathir's side, shaking the unconscious Keeper.

"Arrathir!" he yelled "Are you all right? Wake up!"

Arrathir gave a small laugh, turning over and opening his eyes, his pupils a blood red. "Arrathir's not here, Mr. Dracos…Arrathir can't wake up, Mr. Dracos…Arrathir's gone away, Mr. Dracos," hissed the demon.

To be continued…

Author's Note: There you have it. Chapter 11.


	12. and into the fire

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.

* * *

**Chapter 12-…and into the fire**

Khell recoiled in horror from the demon as he stood up, his eyes glowing with the frenzy of battle. The demon surveyed the scene: the warriors who'd been momentarily confused and alarmed by the explosion of the prison were now mobilizing, gathering their weapons and forming around the crater formed by the explosion while the women ushered the children out of the open and back into their huts, looking fearfully back at the Keepers as if they were going to attack at any second. The warriors started nervously at the Keepers, aware of the power the summoners wielded. The archers had their arrows nocked, their bows drawn and aimed at the Keepers.

"What have you done with Arrathir, you monster?" growled Khell, staring hatefully at the demon.

"You should be thanking me," said the demon "Without my intervention, he'd be dead and you'd still be trapped in that prison."

"How did you survive the stones?" asked Khell, puzzled "They should have sucked you dry of mana."

"No idea," said the demon "The kid couldn't handle it on his own, so I had to take over; got to get to my mate after all"

"You renounced your claim on her," said Khell "She is free from you!"

"Ah," said the demon "But my host desires her and has already chosen her as his mate, therefore making her _my_ mate. All that remains is to claim her…"

"Assuming we get out of here alive that is," said Khell, nervously watching the hunters out of the corner of his eye.

"Leave them to me," said the demon "I thirst for blood."

"Stop," said Khell as the demon turned toward the warriors "These men are trained in anti-summoner combat. If you attack them, I am sure they will aim to kill and you will not last long against their weapons."

"They cannot hurt me!" laughed the demon "I shall take great pleasure in crushing their skulls between my hands and making the earth run red with their blood. To attack my host is to attack me, and those who attack me will die!"

The demon charged at the warriors, who unleashed a barrage of arrows at the demon. Several of the shafts impaled themselves into the demon's body, but he shrugged off the arrows with no ill effect. Leaping into the air, he landed among the warriors and flexed his claws, grinning manically.

"It's showtime!" he exclaimed, cutting down the first warrior with a swipe of his claws. The man went down with a scream as a fountain of blood erupted from his stomach. Before he'd hit the ground, the demon had already whirled around and attacked another of the men. By now, most of the warriors had been able to draw their swords and made futile attempts to bring the demon down.

As one warrior stabbed at him, the demon sidestepped the attack and grabbed the man's arm, using his momentum to drive him into the man behind the demon. The two men froze in shock as the first one's sword was driven deep into the second warrior's chest. As the warrior's eyes went wide upon realizing what he'd done, the demon cut him down with a single slash of his claws.

While the demon continued his rampage, Khell dug Charles out of the rubble. The blue Keeper was stunned, but conscious. "What's going on?" he asked.

"The demon's back," said Khell "As you can see, he's doing what he does best: causing chaos. We need to find Eva right away."

"Why?" asked Charles, still a bit groggy.

"The demon's got it in his head that Arrathir's decided to take Eva as his mate; therefore she is the demon's mate. He wants to claim her, but seeing as Arrathir and Eva haven't made things official, we should protect her; at least until Arrathir regains control of his body."

"Good plan," said Charles "Plus, I don't want to have to deal with that right now," he added, indicating the demon, who was currently darting among the warriors and killing them one by one.

Khell and Charles had no trouble sneaking through the village among the chaos. All the men were out battling the demon, so there wasn't anybody to stop them. Every hut they passed seemed to be infested with mana stones, making their progress rather slow as they had to take long detours to avoid becoming drained of their energy. All the while, they kept searching the area for Eva's mana. Having finally located her approximate location, they made their way towards her.

They finally came to a small hut by the edge of the village, right near the tree line. It was smaller than most of the other huts they had passed. They cautiously approached the hut, wary of any mana stones, but found this hut appeared to be relatively devoid of them. Opening the door, they saw two women sitting on the ground by the door. Upon hearing the door open, the women jumped up and backed from the Keepers in fear. They were both wearing stone pendants around their necks and one of them was brandishing it toward the Keepers, like a holy symbol to ward off the evil.

The rest of the hut was composed of a single bed, on which Eva was lying. She appeared to be sleeping, and the Keepers were relieved to find her mana was stable; albeit lower than it should have been. Around her neck was a collar similar to the ones the Keepers had been wearing upon their awakening. Stepping past the terrified women, Charles leaned over and snapped the collar's band, throwing it away as the stone began to sap his mana. He gently shook Eva to rouse her from her slumber.

"Arrathir…" Eva moaned gently. Charles felt a pang of jealousy in his heart, but he pushed it away. There was no time for that now; they had to get out of there.

"Eva, it's me, Charles," he said. Eva's eyes fluttered open and she started at Charles with a mix of surprise and confusion.

"Where's Arrathir?" she mumbled.

"Arrathir's demon took over while we were being held captive," said Charles "He's gone on a rampage right now."

"Not again," moaned Eva.

"Well, it _was_ his demon that got us out of our prison," said Khell "However, Charles is right: we should let him calm down."

"He's completely out of control!" said Eva "If we don't interfere, a lot of people are going to be hurt! Bring me to him; I can calm him down."

"I don't think that is a good idea, Eva," said Charles "You may have forced the demon to renounce his claim on you, but he still wants to make you his mate. There's no telling what he'll do if he sees you."

"I can take him," sneered Eva.

"One thing I don't get," said Khell "Is how he managed to overcome the stones. None of us were able to get close to those stones without having our mana drained, yet he seems to have no such problem."

"Didn't you say he had near-limitless mana?" asked Charles.

"In theory, yes," said Khell "However, he would need to draw this mana from somewhere. I'm fairly sure the surrounding land wouldn't be enough; the mana is too unstable. In fact, I'm even astonished anything can grow here, what with those mana stones scattered all around. This place should be devoid of mana."

"I am sure that there is some explanation for all this," said Charles "However, we don't have time to ask questions. We should make for the forest and wait there for the demon to calm down."

"I have to see him!" said Eva. She tried to tear herself from Charles' grasp, but the blue Keeper held her tight.

"Please trust me on this, Eva: you don't want to see Arrathir like this," said Charles. Eva continued to struggle, but finally gave up against the Keeper's iron grip.

"Fine," she said "I'll come along, but you'll have the deaths of these people on your hands."

* * *

The demon snarled as he jumped out of the way of another volley of arrows. Despite his superior stamina, he was beginning to tire from the effects of the arrows. They didn't instantly drain him of his mana upon contact, but the several arrows that had struck him, combined with the proximity of the warriors who all wore armor encrusted with the blasted stones had severely weakened him. He probably wasn't much stronger than his human half at this moment.

He had to give the warriors credit: they knew what they were up against and after he'd dismembered the first dozen or so, they had stopped underestimating him and their attacks had become more precise and focused. He was currently backed against the base of a cliff with the warriors forming a tight perimeter around him. He was trapped and with his strength low, he would have to fight his way out of this one. The demon grinned: this was going to be _fun_!

As the demon flexed his claws, deciding which of these pitiful mortals to kill next, he noticed more warriors approaching. At first, this didn't bother him, more fun for later, but then he noticed they were bearing great chunks of rocks on makeshift gurneys made from two wooden poles. Even as they approached, the demon could tell this wasn't going to be good. He could feel his power draining as the much larger rocks began sucking up his mana.

The demon found he had trouble maintaining his balance and he suddenly felt very tired. His vision blurred and his head began spinning. He had to get out fast. He couldn't last much longer and if he passed out, he was sure the hunters would have no qualms about killing him.

_Human…Keeper…lend me your strength. Without it, we will not survive this._

He got no response from the two, but immediately felt a great surge of energy pass through him, driving away the lethargy that had been plaguing him. He glared at the warriors with newfound strength and let out a fierce growl before charging at them, fangs bared and claws ready to kill.

He didn't last long. Soon after his initial attack he began to feel the effects of the blocks of stone. Regardless, he continued, fighting for his life. The warriors attacked him mercilessly and he was forced to retreat more than once. It was on one of these retreats that a final arrow embedded itself in his chest. The demon was stunned for a second. He stared disbelievingly at the shaft protruding from his chest and went to remove it, but found he didn't possess the strength to lift his arms. He fell to his knees, bleeding from dozens of wounds and with a half-dozen shafts stuck in his body. He turned his face to the sky in a silent prayer to whatever Gods might be looking down on him before collapsing to the ground.

A cheer went up from the hunters and they rushed forward to finish the job. The demon watched his doom approaching through his half-closed eyes. Suddenly, explosions rang out from everywhere, causing confusion among the hunters. Someone picked the demon up and, placing their hand of his forehead, 'ported him away from the area.

* * *

The Keepers had taken refuge in the forest near the village. They rested there while their mana slowly regenerated. Eva had asked Khell to keep monitoring Arrathir's mana, but Khell was unable, due to the interference from the mana stones, so all the Keepers could do was wait, and hope.

"He'll be all right," said Charles, sitting beside Eva. The red Keeper was hugging her knees and staring anxiously in the direction of the village. "He's gotten out of worse situations before, and that was before he knew about his demon powers."

"Someone is coming," said Eva, her ears perking up. Sure enough, a man soon stepped into view. He was older than Khell, in his 50's at least, but he still had a full head of messy black hair that fell in stray locks town his shoulder and across his eyes. He was dressed in a brown travel cloak with a dark grey tunic and black pants underneath. In his arms, he held Arrathir's unconscious and bloodied body.

Eva immediately leapt up and pointed an accusatory finger at the man.

"What have you done with him?" she demanded.

"Peace, Eva," the man said "I am a friend."

"How do you know my name?" asked Eva, confused.

"I have been following you Keepers for quite some time now," said the man "Since you arrived in Shiv in fact."

"You claim to be a friend," said Khell "However, how can we be sure of this? We are currently being pursued by an unknown enemy and have faced many of his minions. How do we know you're not just one of them?"

"If I worked for the One," said the man "You would all be dead. In your weakened state, you would be no match for me." He gently set the black Keeper on the ground. "He's lucky I intervened when I did. A bit longer and his mana would have been completely gone. He really pushed himself in that battle. I never would have dreamt his power would develop so fast."

"Who are you?" asked Khell "Why have you been following us?"

"Yes, I do owe you explanations," said the man "First, let us heal and revive the black Keeper. He will surely have the same questions as you do and I hate repeating the same story twice."

Khell set to work healing Arrathir's wounds. Since his mana was still fairly low, he could only manage low-cost spells, but the man was apparently a summoner as well, since he aided with a few spells of his own. Finally, the Keeper's eyes fluttered open and he looked confusedly about for a second before being violently glomped by a relieved Eva.

"Why do you keep worrying me like this?" she asked, shaking the Keeper so violently his teeth rattled. "I swear, you'll be the death of me!" As she continued to shake him, Arrathir grabbed Eva and pulled her in for a deep kiss. Eva was stunned for a moment, but soon returned the kiss.

"I was worried about you too," said Arrathir as they broke their embrace "You had no need to worry: I'm fine."

"Although you may have tried biting off more than you could chew," said the man.

"Who's he?" asked Arrathir, immediately tensing up.

"He saved you from those hunters," said Eva, placing a reassuring hand on Arrathir's shoulder.

"Who are you?" asked Arrathir.

"My name is Tyr," said the man "I've come to tell you that Lu Chao is not to be trusted. I believe he is working for the One."

To be continued…

Author's note: Well, quite a long time since the last update, eh? Blame this on NaNoWriMo (which I won, by the way), my schoolwork, addiction to FF III and my general lack of creativity in regards to this story. Hopefully the next update won't take as long and the Christmas break is coming up, so I'll have time to write then.

Until next time…


	13. Tyr

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.

* * *

**Chapter 13-Tyr**

"Now," said Tyr "We should get out of here before the Hunters regroup and start searching for us. The Twisted Abomination I summoned should keep them occupied, but with those damned mana stones, it won't last very long. As I'm sure you've noticed this island is a deathtrap for our kind."

"How do you suggest we leave?" snapped Arrathir "Unless you can Planeswalk, I doubt Charles can manage to Teleport us off the island."

"We appreciate your coming to our rescue," said Khell "However, if you were counting on our help to escape, I'm afraid we're unable to help you."

"Fear not, Keepers," said Tyr "I am more than a mere summoner. Hold onto your stomachs," he warned before the world dropped out from beneath the Keepers. They found themselves once again looking at the immensity of the Multiverse, and that familiar feeling of piddling insignificance crept its way back into their minds when faced by the sheer magnitude of space.

As the Keepers whizzed through the starry void, they all wondered who this man was. Why was a Planeswalker following them around? Hardly anybody knew of the Keepers, save for themselves, Lu Chao and the One. What was his purpose in this story?

The group landed with a rough jolt which knocked Arrathir and Eva to the ground. Charles and Khell, who seemed to have gotten accustomed to this method of transportation managed to keep their balance. As for Tyr, he showed no sign of having felt the impact of their arrival.

Dazed, Eva stood up and looked around. They were on the crest of a small hill overlooking rolling plains. A light breeze blew through the grass, causing the blades to sway gently, creating the illusion they were looking at a sea of grass. In the distance, on the horizon, they could make out the silhouettes of mountains. A few clouds crawled lazily across the blue sky overhead, indifferent to the five people who had just appeared out of thin air.

A few hundred meters away lay a small village, tucked in a valley. It consisted of about twenty or so huts haphazardly clustered on the plain. Children could be seen playing around the village while the adults watched them, performing various tasks and chatting amongst themselves.

"Where are we?" asked Arrathir.

"Otaria," said Tyr "I have connections in the Order. They can help Eva."

"Why?" asked Eva "I feel fine!"

"The arrowhead that hit you left microscopic fragments of mana stone in your bloodstream," said Tyr "Unless we get them removed, you will die."

"Wait a minute!" said Arrathir "How do you know so much about these stones? Come to think of it, what are they?"

"I will explain as we walk," said Tyr as they set off for the village. "Charles, could you cast some illusions to hide Arrathir and Eva's demonic attributes?" Charles nodded and waved his hand, the ears and tails of the two Keepers disappeared.

"It's going to be OK, Eva," said Arrathir, taking the red Keeper's hand to comfort her. "We'll get those stones out of you, I promise."

"Get off me!" shouted Eva, pulling her hand out of Arrathir's grasp. "This is your entire fault!"

Arrathir was shocked by Eva's outburst. Anger began to well up inside him. Was this the thanks he got for putting his life on the line for her? He turned abruptly away from her and followed after Tyr, who was explaining the mystery of the mana stones.

"The Island," said Tyr "As it has come to be called, was originally a harvesting ground for mana stones. These stones act like mana batteries and can store vast quantities of mana within them, making them very practical for summoners. However, they must be fully charged before they can be tapped for mana. They'll absorb mana from the strongest source around them, which is why they weaken mana-users. Summoners used to frequent the island to dispose of empty stones and collect charged stones. However, the Island's inhabitants feared the summoners and eventually grew to know the power of the stones. They noticed certain stones would weaken the summoners and soon came to view the stones as a gift from the Gods to aid them in their struggle against the summoners."

"They began using the stones in their armor and weapons, even going as far as to insert stone fragments into wounds since the mana given off by the stones would accelerate the healing process in humans. Because of the amount of mana given off, those who overused the stones became, as you saw, twisted and deformed."

"So why did the stones in our prison explode when Arrathir attacked them?" asked Khell.

"The stones do have a certain capacity," said Tyr "If a charged stone is placed next to a powerful mana source, it will attempt to continue absorbing mana, eventually overcharging and exploding. This is also why we must get Eva treated as soon as possible. The fragments of stones in her bloodstream will soon overcharge and explode. If one of them explodes next to a vital organ, it will be fatal. Even if the explosion does not damage her vitals, she will most likely die of internal bleeding."

"I'm still wondering how I managed to conjure the strength to not only break out of our prison but also to continue fighting for several minutes afterwards," said Arrathir.

"Your demon provided you with the energy to escape," said Tyr "As for your burst of energy after you broke out…" he pulled down Arrathir's collar to reveal a red scar on his collarbone. "You've got a fragment of mana stone inside you that's feeding you mana. Once it is exhausted, it will have to be removed, but until then, you will experience a significant boost in your mana."

"So these stones can sap a summoner of their power or boost it greatly," said Charles "There must be some disadvantage to using them to increase one's power."

"Prolonged use can lead to an addiction to the rush of mana," admitted Tyr "As well, the increase in mana flowing through the brain can lean to mental…instability."

"You mean madness?" asked Khell.

"Yes," said Tyr "However, as you can see, I myself have two stones in my arm," he pulled down his sleeve to reveal two jagged red scars on his forearm. "Do I look like a madman to you?" he asked with a slight grin. "The extraction process is rather painful," he continued, rolling down his sleeve "So there is no need to remove Arrathir's stone while it poses no risk. As well, you may find the extra mana useful," he told Arrathir.

They had now reached the village. People gazed fearfully as they passed. Many parents brought their young ones inside. "Come along now, Kraer," Arrathir heard a man say, ushering a young woman indoors.

"Arrathir?" said Eva, falling into step beside the Keeper of Black Mana. Arrathir merely glared at her and continued walking. "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier on and on the Island," said Eva "I've been having these mood swings lately, and I have no idea what made me go off the handle like that. All that stuff I said about us being through…I didn't mean it. I'm really sorry. Do you think we can just forget about it?"

"You threw me away like garbage, Eva," snapped Arrathir "Now you expect me to take you back? It is going to take a lot more than that to regain the trust you shattered." Arrathir quickened his pace, surging ahead of Eva.

_**That was harsh.**_

_Don't tell me you didn't think she deserved it._

_**You know you're dying to take her back.**_

…_Yes, but I want her to try. Maybe that'll teach her to improve her attitude._

_**You know, Arrathir, when I told you to stand up to Eva, I didn't mean in ways that would hurt her.**_

_Well, maybe she deserves to be hurt a little. After all, how many times has she hurt me? Maybe she'll see things from my point of view._

_**This despite your oath never to hurt her?**_

_Hey, screw you, Chikuro. I've been busting my ass trying to make our relationship work, and all I've gotten in return is abuse. Sure, Eva might be happy with the way things are, but what about me? What about what I want?_

**_Now you're starting to sound like a real _ghell**

_I put a lot into this relationship; isn't it about time I got something out of it?_

_**You mean besides Eva offering herself to you?**_

_Chikuro, that subject is closed._

Arrathir shut off his mind-like and stormed angrily after the others. Meanwhile, Eva was having a similar conversation with herself.

(Can't say I didn't deserve that.)

**(Your red mana makes you more irritable, Eva. You can't be blamed for all your mood swings. Arrathir has a point; you need to control your temper, but don't take the full blame for what happened.)**

(I haven't exactly been trying. What if this is a sign, Ruu? What if Arrathir and I are such polar opposites that even though we're soul mates, we'll never be able to have a successful relationship?)

**(True love conquers all, Eva. I'm sure you'll work things out.)**

They arrived at a small hut near the outskirts of the village. Tyr called out through the door and a minute later, a man dressed in Daru armor stepped out of the hut. He was short, well under six feet and his face was tired and sullen.

"Ashten," said Tyr, bowing to the man "We come in need of your aid."

"Tyr," spat the man "I told you never to come back here."

"I wouldn't dream of it," said Tyr "However, this is an emergency. The girl," he indicated Eva "Has been contaminated by mana stones."

"How did this happen?" asked Ashten, his eyes snapping to Eva.

"It is a long story," said Tyr "However, time is short. Will you help her?"

Ashten appeared torn between his hatred of Tyr and his commitment as a cleric to help those in need to healing.

"You may stay until she is cured," he finally said "As soon as she is better, you are to leave and never return."

"We are most grateful," said Tyr. Ashten merely frowned and motioned to Eva to follow him.

"That was Ashten," said Tyr as the cleric walked away with Eva "He's the self-appointed head cleric of this village. We've had a few run-ins over the year. Suffice to say we do not get along very well."

* * *

Ashten led Eva to another hut that contained a low bed and several shelves crammed full of bottles and boxes. 

"This is our infirmary," said Ashten "You'll stay here for the duration of your treatments. Your problem can be cured easily enough, but it will take time." He went over to one of the shelves and rummaged around for a bit before pulling out a small flask. "Drink this," he said, handing Eva the flask "It is essentially a liquid Disenchant to destroy the stones inside you."

"Couldn't you just cast Disenchant on me to destroy them?" asked Eva.

"That would be rather dangerous," said Ashten "The spell would cause the stones to explode, which would be just as bad as if they overcharged. This potion has two purposes: first, to block the flow of mana to the stones to prevent further charging and second, to slowly erode away at the stones until their size no longer poses a threat. Now drink up."

Eva uncorked the flask and took a sip. She immediately gagged on the bitterness of the potion.

"You'll need to drink all of it," said Ashten. Bracing herself, Eva swallowed the rest of the fowl liquid, grimacing in disgust as it trickled down her gullet.

"How long will this take to work?" asked Eva after she'd finished the flask.

"At least three days," said Ashten "You'll need to rest in order for the medicine to properly work."

Eva's face fell. "Three days?" she said "Will I be able to see my friends?"

"Of course," said Ashten "Shall I send them in?"

Eva hesitated. She knew Arrathir well enough to know he'd need a while to cool off after their argument. "No," she finally said, sitting on the bed.

"Here," said Ashten, handing her a cup of sweet-smelling tea. "This will help you sleep."

Eva gratefully accepted the cup and took a cautious sip; unlike the pervious remedy, the tea was pleasant to the pallet. She lied down on the bed and soon found sleep overtaking her.

* * *

Nightfall found the Keepers huddled up around a fire, staring into the dancing flames as they wrapped blankets tightly around their bodies to ward off the cool night air.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Tyr, taking a seat beside Arrathir.

"Tyr, we thank you for your help," said Khell "However, there are still a few things we need to know; questions that need answering."

"Fine," said Tyr "What troubles you?"

"How did you find out about us?" asked Khell "And why have you been following us?"

"I have known about the Keepers for a long time," said Tyr "I made it my life's goal to attempt to find them. When I sensed a change in the black mana of the Multiverse, I knew the Keeper of Black Mana had been awakened and I set out to find him and the others. Unfortunately, Lu Chao found you before I did. I've been following you because I wanted to make sure Lu Chao didn't betray you. I suspected he was only a pawn working for a greater force, but after he sent you to the Island, I'm sure there's more to this than what we know."

"I knew it," said Arrathir "He's plotting against us! I told you he was trying to kill us!"

"In light of what happened on the Island," said Charles "I agree with Arrathir." Khell nodded in approval.

"So what do we do now?" asked Arrathir.

"We find Lu Chao," said Tyr "I do not know where he is or what he is planning, but better to act than to wait for him to strike. We should get some rest. You've had a hard day."

The village had no extra huts and none of the families would accept to share their home with the Keepers, so they had to sleep outside, but by now they were used to it. Arrathir was having trouble sleeping. They were near the infirmary and the night breeze carried Eva's scent to him. The thought that he could have her at any moment but chose to deny himself this pleasure upset him. After all, they loved each other, so shouldn't it be natural they have sex? The more he thought about it, the more he realized he was the one at fault here. Maybe if he'd accepted Eva's proposal to mate things might have turned out differently. Sighing, he rolled over and closed his eyes, trying to find sleep.

* * *

On the third evening since the Keepers' arrival in the village, Eva awoke feeling strange. It was a peculiar feeling in her loins, a sort of burning sensation. She could feel an incredible desire welling up in her loins, longing to be quenched. Finally, she realized what it was: she was in heat.

As she struggled to come to terms with her predicament, the door to the hut opened and Ashten's assistant, Kyp, entered. He was a young man, only a few years older than Eva and the first time she'd seen him, he had struck her as quite handsome. Desire flared up in her and she had the sudden urge to jump of Kyp and…she shook her head. No, she couldn't; Arrathir was the one she loved. However, the urge remained, growing stronger by the second.

"How are you doing, Eva?" asked Kyp in a cheerful voice. He was very friendly and Eva had quickly come to like him.

"Fine…" gasped Eva "Please leave me."

"Are you sure?" asked Kyp "You don't sound so good."

"Please, Kyp," said Eva "Leave now!" She knew that she couldn't hold on for very long. Her body was screaming for release and there was a very capable male nearby.

"I'm here to help, Eva. What's wrong?"

"You can help me by getting the fuck out!" yelled Eva.

"I'm going to give you something to help you relax," said Kyp, undaunted by Eva's outburst.

As Kyp approached her bed, Eva felt herself weakening. Her desire was overpowering her mind and casting away her inhibitions. Her primal instincts were taking over and the only thing she could think about was the male before her. He could satisfy her needs and slake her lust.

"Eva?" asked Kyp, gently touching her shoulder. With a wild cry, Eva sprung from her bed and tackled the cleric.

* * *

Arrathir was brutally awoken by Khell shaking him.

"Wake up!" he said "It's Eva!"

Arrathir sprung up, his fatigue forgotten. "What happened?" he asked.

"She attacked Kyp," said Khell "She went into heat and tried to mate him."

"Did she?" growled Arrathir. The thought of Eva with another male made his blood boil. She was his and he'd be damned if he let another male lay a hand on her.

"No," said Khell "Kyp was able to Pacify her, but that was only a temporary measure. Eva's heat won't just go away. Arrathir, you have to mate her."

"What?"

"It is that or keep her restrained every month during her heat cycle," said Khell "This would be a major inconvenience. As well, it would be cruel to Eva since without being mated, she will gradually become more and more feral."

"You want me to have sex with Eva?" asked Arrathir.

"For both your sakes," said Charles "Do it. The sexual tension between the two of you is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Take her as your mate already."

"I don't know," said Arrathir "I mean, she's not in her normal state of mind right now, so that could be rape."

"She _needs_ this, Arrathir," said Khell "The only way for her to feel better is to be mated."

"I'm not sure about this," said Arrathir.

"Look," said Charles, exasperated "She's suffering right now. She needs a male and I think both of you would prefer if that male was you. If you don't do this for her, then you're not worthy of having her."

"All right," said Arrathir, taking a deep breath. "I'll do it for Eva." Walking up to the hut, he entered, his heart beating madly in his chest.

The moment he entered, the door slammed shut behind him, leaving in him in the dark. His nose was immediately overpowered by the scent of Eva's estrus. It permeated every inch of the hut and was so thick he could almost see it in the air. It made him light-headed and he suddenly didn't feel so reluctant with the idea of mating Eva. In fact, he was beginning to like it. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he saw a dark shape heading very quickly for him. Before he could react, he was tackled by Eva who straddled him.

She stared lustily at Arrathir and licked her lips in anticipation. She was completely nude and Arrathir's eyes roamed over her form. As Eva began tearing at his clothes, Arrathir's frightened expression shifted into a wide grin and his eyes flashed red.

"Mine," he growled, pulling Eva to him.

To be continued…

Author's Note: I'll leave the rest up to your imaginations, ya little perverts!

Until next time...


	14. Breaking point

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.

* * *

**Chapter 14-Breaking point  
**

_At last they have consummated their union. The two Keepers are now joined, body and soul forevermore. Their bond will only be strengthened by this. However, I foresee future hardships for them because of this event. Will the Black Keeper be able to control his jealous nature? How will this affect his ties with the Blue Keeper? _

"_Happily ever after" is not in these two's future.  
_

* * *

_So, the Keeper of Black Mana has finally taken his bitch, eh? It was only a matter of time until it happened. I suppose I'll have to accelerate my plans due to this...unfortunate series of events. _

_The time has come for him to prove his worth.  
_

* * *

The One entered the room. It was a long room tiled in black marble and his footsteps echoed thought the cavernous space. The roof was vaulted and supported by richly molded ribs. Thin windows high above the floor let in shafts of light that formed white strips on the black floor. Tall stone columns lined the walls, each decorated with intricate carvings of mythical creatures.

He cared little for the room at this moment, for more pressing things troubled his mind. They had summoned him, which was most odd, since he was usually the one to contact them to request a meeting. He had to heed their call though; he needed them after all.

At the far end of the room was a long obsidian table surrounded by ebony chairs. They were already seated around the table, waiting for him. They spoke not as he approached nor as he passed by them, heading for his seat at the head of the table; he could feel their eyes following him. Taking his seat, he gazed around; a sense of dread filled him as he met their piercing glares.

"I trust you are all doing well on this fine day," he said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that hung in the air, reminding him of a thundercloud ready to burst forth in lightning and rain.

"Cease the pleasantries," snapped one of the men "We did not come here to listen to you babble; this is about business."

"You have failed to deliver us what you promised; the power of the Keepers of Mana. You have broken our agreement," said a woman.

"Henceforth, we will no longer be employing your services," said another woman "We will deal with the Keepers ourselves."

"No!" said the One, paling visibly "You cannot do this! I almost have the Keepers; they are within my grasp. I just need more time. Complications have arisen."

"We tire of your excuses," said another man "We have waited long enough. Since you appear to be inept at the task we assigned to you, we are taking matters into our own hands."

"This cannot be happening!" exclaimed the One "I have invested so much in this project. I have helped you all along and now you're abandoning me?"

"We still plan on acquiring the power of the Keepers, but your aid won't be necessary. You've provided us with enough information that we know what they are capable of and where to find them."

"But…"

"The issue is closed. We will be on our way," said a man. They stood up with a clatter of chairs and left the room, leaving the One alone in the room in a state of distress.

"They can't do this to me," he wailed, his cry echoing around the room "I'm so close…so close…mustn't lose hope. The Keepers are in my grasp, yes, they are. They want them. They're going to try to take them from me, but the power is mine! Mustn't let that happen. They think they can outsmart me, but I'll beat them to the punch. Centuries I've tried now. Many attempts; many failures, but I've never gotten this far. This time, the Awakening succeeded, yes, it did."

Muttering madly to himself, the One pulled out a clay pipe and a sachet of herbs. Packing his pipe nervously, he lit it up and took a few puffs, exhaling a cloud of smoke. Sitting back in his chair, he took a few more puffs and gradually began to calm down. He remained in the room for hours, planning his revenge. When his pipe became empty, he merely refilled it with more herbs.

They would pay. He would show them that the One did not take lightly to betrayal.

* * *

Chihowaido, the Keeper of White Mana was sick. This wasn't some bug that gave him a runny nose or a cough; this was a full, blown-out plague. 

It had started with a fever accompanied by stomach aches a week ago. Chihowaido had taken a Healing Salve, and the symptoms having disappeared, he put the illness out of his mind. However, it returned with a vengeance. The white Keeper had awoken with an upset stomach and had just the time to rush to the window before regurgitating the contents of his stomach. He had spent the next two hours vomiting intermittently.

The Keeper was presently buried under a mountain of blankets with a roaring fire in the chimney. He was shivering madly, despite his covers. His entire body was wracked with pain and he sporadically coughed up blood. Added to this were a blurry vision, molting, and boils that had begun appearing all over his body, oozing with pus.

He had tried everything he could think of, even casting a Beacon of Immortality on himself, but to no avail.

"Chihowaido!" barked Lu Chao, entering the room "What are you still doing in bed? We have much to do today!" He flung open the drapes, the white Keeper moaning in pain as light flooded the room.

"Fuck off, Chao," he groaned "I'm sick."

"You're the Keeper of White Mana! You can't be sick!" said Lu Chao in disbelief.

"Obviously, I can."

"No, no, no! This is bad! What happened?" asked Lu Chao.

"I was feeling fine one minute and like shit the next," said Chihowaido.

"It is as I feared," sighed Lu Chao, examining Chihowaido "You are experiencing the effects of your forced take over of your hosts' body. The body recognizes your spirit is not its rightful owner and is rejecting you."

"How do we stop it?"

"The only way is to get your host to formally accept you."

"That will never happen," grunted the white Keeper "He hates me."

"Well then, it looks like you will have to persuade him to accept you," said Lu Chao "If he does not, you will continue to deteriorate and eventually die."

"How can I accomplish this?"

"Your host has a strong will: you must break it," said Lu Chao.

"You mean…torture him?"

"As you see fit," said Lu Chao "You care not for your host. He only impedes you and prevents you from achieving your goal."

"This will cure my illness?" asked the white Keeper.

"Yes," said Lu Chao "Once your host has accepted you, the body will accept you."

"It shall be done then," said Chihowaido, closing his eyes and entering his Soul Room.

When he awoke, he felt completely cured. Since he was now in his spiritual body, he was free from the pain imposed by his physical body. Opening his door, he crossed over to Erik's door and wrenched open the metal bars closing it. Kicking the door open, he was confronted by his other self.

"What do you want?" snapped Erik. In response, Chihowaido sunk his fist in his hosts' stomach. Erik's eyes went wide and he doubled over in pain. As he gasped to catch his breath, Chihowaido kicked him in the face, sending the human flying onto his back, blood spurting from his nose. Chihowaido stood over his host, wings fully spread out and a mad look on his face, making him look quite like the angel of death.

"What are you doing?" yelled Erik, trying to mop up the blood with his shirt.

"Shut up!" snapped Chihowaido, kicking Erik in the ribs. The Keeper went down, coughing madly. Chihowaido grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and threw him into a wall with ease. Erik cried out in pain as he hit the wall and fell heavily to the floor.

"What has gotten into you?" he asked, staring at Chihowaido with fearful eyes.

"I've had it with you," said Chihowaido "You _will_ accept me or suffer the consequences."

"What?" asked Erik, confused, before screaming out in pain and Chihowaido stepped on his hand, putting his full weight on it. The sound of bones snapping could be heard throughout the room. When the spirit removed his foot, Erik gazed in horror at his mangled hand.

"Accept me," said Chihowaido, grabbing Erik by the throat and slamming him against the wall.

"If you kill me, you'll die too," gasped Erik.

"I'm not going to kill you, idiot, but by the time I'm done with you, you'll wish you were dead." With a wave of his hand, Chihowaido cast Pacifism on Erik, the Keeper going limp. He then cast several Healing Salves, watching as Erik's wounds healed over. "I didn't enjoy doing that," said Chihowaido "It doesn't have to continue. Just say the word: will you accept me?"

"No," said Erik, shaking his head "You expect me to forgive what you did to me so easily?"

"You could be making this a lot easier on yourself," said Chihowaido "I know what you fear most is a gruesome death. That is why your strategies have always been based on immortality. Well, now is the time to face your greatest fear."

With a snap of Chihowaido's fingers, Erik found himself strapped on a wooden frame. His hands were chained to a roller at the top of the device and his feet manacled to another roller at the bottom. A ratchet with a handle was attached to the top roller.

"I'm sure you know this little device," said Chihowaido "It is called the rack." He cranked the handle, Erik letting out a scream of pain as his joints were stretched to their full extent. "Here is how this is going to work: I will ease off if you accept me but, for every time you refuse, I will increase the tension that's pulling you apart."

"Stop this!" said Erik.

"Shut up," snapped Chihowaido, rotating the ratchet. Erik howled in pain as the chains bit into his wrists and ankles. "Now, your body is going to be in constant pain, and this will only continue increasing as you refuse, so I'll ask you; will you accept me?"

"Why are you doing this to _me_?" demanded Erik, clenching his teeth against the pain, his eyes tearing.

"I need you to accept _me_," said Chihowaido "Your body is rejecting my spirit."

"After what you did to me, that's not surprising!" snapped Erik. Chihowaido shook his head and pulled the handle again, eliciting further screams from Erik.

"A great artifact, the rack, isn't it?" said Chihowaido, circling around Erik. "In ancient times, the mere menace of being put to the question was enough to make even the most hardened criminals talk. You, on the other hand, have actually had a taste of the rack. Do you wish to stop now? Will you accept me?"

"Bite m…" Erik broke into a howl.

Frowning, Chihowaido interrupted him, increased the tension. "The victim was often placed on the rack half-naked," said Chihowaido, ripping off Erik's shirt. The Keeper's taunt skin was glistening with the sweat of his agony. "One of the main purposes of this was that it left the victim completely defenseless against other methods of torture," he added, digging a claw into Erik's flank and leaving a long red gash in his skin, the Keeper screaming in distress. "Why do you persist in opposing _me_?" asked Chihowaido, shaking his head "We should be working _together_ against the Keeper of Black Mana. Think about it, ever since he came into your life, you've been miserable. Wouldn't you like to get back at him for all the trouble he's caused _you_?"

"He saved me from the Slivers," grunted Erik.

"One good deed cannot redeem a lifetime of evil ones. We cannot allow him to continue. Accept me, and we will defeat him together."

"I'll never accept you!" screamed Erik.

"As you wish," said Chihowaido, turning the crank. A loud, gruesome popping noise echoed through the room, coupled with Erik's renewed screams. "That would be your cartilage snapping," said the spirit "If I continue, your limbs will eventually be ripped off."

"Stop!" yelled Erik; his face contorted with agony "I'll do whatever you want! Just get me off this thing!"

"So you accept me?" asked Chihowaido, his eyes gleaming.

"Yes! I accept you!" sobbed Erik. Chihowaido snapped his fingers and the rack vanished. A white glow appeared around the wounded Keeper and he felt his pain vanish as his wounds healed.

"You must now enter my Soul Room to officially accept me," said Chihowaido. Erik nodded, not daring to look at the Keeper. Leaving Erik's room, they crossed the hallway and entered Chihowaido's room. As soon as Erik entered, he felt a great rush of power. Suddenly, he knew who he was; the Keeper of White Mana. Large brown wings sprouted from his back and feathers grew on his arms. His ears shriveled and disappeared into his head and his nails turned into powerful talons.

* * *

Back in the real world, Erik's eyes opened and he sat up, startling Lu Chao. 

"Is it done?" asked Lu Chao.

"You said we had much to do," said Chihowaido "Tell me more."

To be continued…

Author's note: Can't really seem to think of anything, except that I seem to have gotten my inspiration back, so hopefully, the next chapter will be around shortly.

Until next time...


	15. The morning after

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.

* * *

**Chapter 15-The morning after**

Eva awoke feeling incredibly relaxed and refreshed. All the stress and fatigue from the past weeks seemed to have disappeared. She heard a low, rumbling sound emanating from her chest, accompanied by a light vibration that shook her whole body from head to toe. The sound was one of content and satisfaction and it grew to a full out purr, like a big cat. It took her a few seconds, but then she realized what it was: she was murring. Eva couldn't even tell how she was making the sound. She tried to stop it, but had no idea how. She finally decided it was an involuntary action and merely lay there, enjoying the vibrations coursing through her body.

Something warm was pressing against her chest. Eva lazily opened an eye, wincing as light invaded her retina, and found herself staring at somebody's neck. Jerking up, Eva realized she was lying on top of a sleeping Arrathir and that both of them were completely naked. Eva's arms were wrapped around Arrathir's neck and the black Keeper had an arm protectively slung across her back. Arrathir had a content smile on his face, something Eva hadn't seen on him in a while.

Eva blushed furiously and rolled off Arrathir, falling to the floor on her rump with a grunt. Arrathir didn't wake up, but moaned gently in his sleep. Looking wildly about for something to cover herself, Eva finally grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her body. Sitting on the ground, she took a few deep breaths and began thinking over the situation. As she inhaled, a powerful scent assaulted her nostrils. It was a sweet, spicy scent that seemed incredibly familiar. As she continued sniffing the air, she finally realized it was her scent intermingling with Arrathir's.

(Did we…)

She was suddenly assaulted by images of the previous night: Arrathir taking her from behind as she screamed in pleasure; her, on top of Arrathir, thrusting down onto him, the black Keeper moaning loudly, his eyes closed in bliss, and finally, that wonderful feeling of inner peace as they became one; united through their love.

Eva's blush increased as she recalled these events and how much she'd enjoyed them. True, she had desired Arrathir for some time now, but to have actually mated with him felt odd. She wondered how this would affect their relationship. As Eva pondered these questions and many others that drifted in and out of her mind, she felt a slight pain in her left shoulder. Reaching up with her right hand, she felt a small oval scab near the base of her neck. Twisting her head around and looking out of the corner of her eye, she saw what looked like a hickey, except it was black instead of red. She knew what this was; she'd been marked.

Unlike when Arrathir's demon had marked her, Eva felt no shame. She fondly touched the mark; this was the undeniable sign of their union and she would bear it with pride. After all, she _was_ now mated to the Keeper of Black Mana.

She shivered slightly. The cool morning air was seeping underneath the door, chilling the floor. She could have easily lit a fire or wrapped herself in mana to wield off the cold, but she needed the warmth of her mate. Clambering back onto the bed, she slipped under Arrathir's arm and snuggled up against her mate, lying her head on his shoulder so she'd be the first thing he saw when he awoke.

**(Congratulations, you've finally found yourself a mate.)**

(Chiruu! Were…were you watching when we…?)

**(No. I felt your first mating should be a private occasion. However, since our souls _are_ linked, I did feel your pleasure.)**

(And…?)

**(Let's say that after millennia of sexual frustration, it felt very good.)**

(So is my heat over?)

**(Goodness no! You're going to be in heat for about another week.)**

(A _week?_ I'm going to be horny as Hell for a whole _week?_)

**(At least you have a mate to satisfy you. It could be worse. Female demons that are unable to find a male demon during their heat cycle will often head to the nearest human settlement and attempt to mate one of the men. Unfortunately, by the time they've been driven to this, they are so feral that the villagers perceive their advances as hostile and will drive them from the village or exorcize them. Plus, I don't think Arrathir will mind servicing you a few times a day.)**

(A few times a _day?_)

**(At least two. Any less and you risk going feral again, only this time, it could be Khell or Charles you jump.)**

(So every month I'm going to turn into a nymphomaniac for a week?)

**(More or less. This time was more severe. This was your first heat cycle since becoming a demoness so you weren't quite used to it, but you'll learn. You'll grow to enjoy sex. It is like a drug: the more you get, the more you'll want. As well, next time you go into heat, you'll be coherent and will enjoy it more. Last night, you demon was pretty much in control.)**

(Is she like…him?)

**(Who? Arrathir's demon? Well, remember your demon represents your darker, more primal side. Given your _g'imu_, I'd say she's a lot more violent than he is. Watch out for her, though: she's a trickster. Be wary of any deals she tries to make with you.)**

(I want to talk to her.)

**(What?)**

(I want to show her she's not going to control me. Arrathir is _mine_! We're gone through too much to be together and I'm not going to let her screw it up!)

**(If that is your wish, go ahead.)**

Closing her eyes, Eva looked deep within herself, focusing on her most primal, instinctive emotions: passion, anger, impulsiveness; all these emotions that represented her _g'imu_ and defined her as the Keeper of Red Mana. All these emotions that she struggled to keep in check, both for Arrathir's and her sake. She knew if she gave in to her aggressive nature, she would inevitably hurt those she cared about. This realization made her understand what Arrathir must have gone through after his demonic side first awoke. That day was forever imprinted in her mind. It had been the first time she had been genuinely afraid of Arrathir, but also when she had first realized she desired him. Her desire had slowly continued building, culminating with Chiruu's awakening.

Opening her eyes, Eva found herself in a black void. She could hear heavy breathing and the padding of paws nearby.

"What do you want, human?" snarled a voice, the sound echoing through the darkness.

"Show yourself!" said Eva, her voice slightly uncertain.

A low chuckle answered Eva's request. "As you wish," said the voice.

The padding grew closer and out of the gloom appeared an enormous nine-tailed fox. Its fur was a deep brown and it had white streaks on its muzzle. Its lips were curled back in a feral snarl, exposing its sharp teeth. Its eyes blazed with an intense fury and it gazed hatefully at Eva, its tails flicking constantly.

"Here I am, human," it spat, as if the word was a poisonous substance. Recovering from her surprise, Eva stood before the kitsune and stared it straight in the eyes.

"You will not interfere between Arrathir and I," she said in a resolute tone. The demon stared at her for a few seconds before breaking into laughter.

"Your mate?" it said "What makes you think I _want_ him? As long as he keeps you satisfied, I have no use for him."

Eva felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She laughed nervously. "So you're not going to try taking over my body or anything?" she asked.

"Not unless there is a good reason to," said the demon "What gave you that idea?"

"Arrathir's demon did something similar."

"Well, of course he did," snapped the demon "He's a male and you were in heat! Since Arrathir didn't have the guts to claim you, the demon did what was necessary."

"Wait," said Eva, stunned "Are you _condoning _what he did? He tried to rape me!"

"I hate to break it to you, but in our society, if an unmated demoness goes into heat, she's fair game for anybody to claim."

"That's horrible! Any male can just take her against her will?"

"Well, by the time she's in heat, she's _more_ than willing to be taken," chuckled the demon. "That's just how demons are. You might consider it wrong, but among demons it is an accepted fact of life."

"I can't believe this!" said Eva.

"You've experienced the heat once," said the demon "Females who experience it for the first time _need_ to be taken. They gladly accept any male willing to quench their desire. This isn't so much rape as fulfilling the urges of a needy female."

"What about the male?" asked Eva "Does he keep her as his mate, or just use her and then leave?"

"It depends on the male. He may or may not mark her after the mating. After all, the sole purpose for a demon to mate is to produce as many heirs as possible, but demons are usually honorable: if they mate a female, they will stay with her the rest of their life."

Eva was about to reply when she remembered how she'd felt just before the mating. She could recall the intense desire that clouded her mind so thickly that she could only think of one thing: sex. She'd been so relieved when Arrathir had entered the hut. She still had trouble getting used to the idea of female demons being used as sex toys, although she supposed the males were doing them a favor by mating them. It was more or less a win-win situation: the males got pleasure and the females didn't have to suffer.

"I suppose when you put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad after all."

"Great," said the demon "Lovely talking with you kid. Now scram."

Eva felt slightly offended at having been called "kid." She was an adult, for crying out loud! However, she let the comment slide and released her focus on all her negative emotions, instead concentrating on the positive ones. As she felt herself reintegrating her real body, she opened her eyes to find Arrathir staring lovingly at her.

"G'morning, beautiful," he grinned, cuddling up to her.

"Hey there," said Eva, giving him a peck on the nose.

An awkward silence followed. Once you've been intimate with somebody, it is impossible to pick up your relationship where you left off. There is a sense of unease that both parties know about, but neither wants to discuss.

"Eva," Arrathir finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence "About last night…"

"There's nothing to explain," said Eva "You actually did me a great favor."

"It was really great," said Arrathir, blushing.

"Good," smirked Eva. "Because I'm gonna be in heat for a whole 'nother week and I'll need plenty of 'attention,' if you catch my drift."

"It's like you read my mind," said Arrathir, rolling over onto Eva as the red Keeper squealed with pleasure.

* * *

Khell had awoken with the sun as he always did. He left his hut and stepped outside, wondering how the two Keepers had spent the rest of the night. He knew they had consummated their union; the screams of pleasure coming from the hut having been a dead giveaway. He was glad for them. Now that this was out of the way, maybe they would stop being at each other's throat and they could get back to their mission.

He wasn't sure what to make of Tyr. The Planeswalker had been a great help to them, but Khell could sense he was hiding something. Then again, everybody had hidden secrets, himself included, so perhaps this was nothing to worry about. He wondered if Tyr would continue accompanying them on their journey. Sitting on the ground, he began meditating as he reflected on the recent events. The aid of a Planeswalker would be greatly appreciated seeing they were up against the Keeper of White Mana. He felt a stab of anger coming from his other self at the thought of the white Keeper.

-Easy, Rin. We've been over this.-

**-I cannot so easily forgive the one who killed me.-**

-We're going after him to save Erik, nothing more. I will not have you pursuing this vendetta.-

**-If at least he had killed me in honorable combat, I could forgive him, but his underhanded, treacherous tactics make him worse than the Keeper of Black Mana in my eyes!-**

-You are right. What he did was low and unworthy of the Keeper of White Mana, but you cannot let this distract you from our goal.-

**-Supposing we _do_ find him, how do we force him to relinquish his control over Erik's body?-**

-You're the Keeper. You know more than me about these things.-

**-I really have no idea. I suppose we could…AH!-**

-Rin? What is it?-

**-Something…terrible has happened on this plane. I have felt hundreds of lives crying out in pain before being extinguished in an instant.-**

-It could have just been a natural disaster or something.-

**-No, this was too sudden and I felt no major change in the plane's mana.-**

"Keeper!" a voice called out, tearing Khell from his concentration. Looking up, he saw Tyr standing before him, a horrified expression on his face.

"You have felt it too?" he asked.

"I have seen it," said Tyr "We must assemble the Keepers at once! Chihowaido has struck the first blow!"

To be continued…

Author's Note: Looks like I'm going back to the old cliffy endings.

Until next time…


	16. Alaysia

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only me OCs.

* * *

**Chapter 16-Alaysia**

"Alaysia! Alaysia! Where has she gotten to now?" Argoth mumbled as he shambled over a fallen tree. The Tangle was no place for a young female to be on her own, but try as he might, Argoth couldn't dissuade his sister from venturing into the forest.

Argoth was a brown Leonin who lived in a settlement on the Razor Fields near the outskirts of the Tangle. He had a gentle face whose beauty was marred by a large scar that ran over his left eye down to his jawbone, the result of an encounter with a Plated Slagwurm when he was only a few seasons old. The accident had also left him with a pronounced limp, which had caused him to be refused admission to the Leonin army. Disappointed but undaunted, he had become a competent warrior through sheer force of will and rigorous training.

His twin sister, Alaysia had no intent on becoming a warrior. Indeed, she was far too gentle and kind-natured to ever harm another being. However, their father, Rashnak had decreed his children would become warriors. With Argoth's military career shot by his accident, Alaysia was Rashnak's last hope. In the Leonin society, males traditionally joined the ranks of the military while female became clerics or skyhunters. Rashnak has no desire for his daughter to aid the wounded; he wanted her to go into battle and achieve glory. Ever since Argoth's accident, he had doted on Alaysia, preparing her for her induction into the ranks of the skyhunters, to the point of ignoring his son, whom he considered a lost cause. Argoth was jealous of the attention heaped upon his sister, but he didn't hold it against her. Rashnak had been a war hero, so he understood his father wished for his daughter to achieve the same status. The twin's mother had died during a Nim raid on their village many seasons ago, leaving their father to raise the cubs on his own.

Upon having entered adulthood, Alaysia was primed to become a skyhunter, but much to her father's dismay and anger, she frequently disregarded her training, preferring to wander into the Tangle, despite her father's many warnings about the dangers of the forest. It was Argoth's unofficial duty to fetch her on such occasions.

As he advanced through the metallic underbrush of the Tangle, Argot picked up a strange scent on the air. It was a faint, putrid smell and it was growing closer. Hiding behind a tall tree that spread its metallic branches far overhead, Argot waited on bated breath to see what it was. The stench soon overpowered Argoth's olfactory senses, causing him to gag.

Peering around the tree, Argoth suppressed a cry of horror at what he saw: a Nim was shambling through the forest. Its long, gangly arms which ended in disproportionately large, claw-like hands, the flesh of which was black and putrefied, brushed against the forest ground. Its pale blue skin contrasted sharply in its sickly appearance with the abundance of life around it. The light of Mirrodin's five suns filtering through the trees glinted dully off its cranial plating and a train of green necrogen mist followed it is wake.

Argoth felt his hackles rise as a low growl emanated from his throat. The Leonin and the Nim were mortal enemies and the two races frequently clashed on the Razor Fields. To think that one of them would dare desecrate the Tangle with its putrid presence positively piqued the proud puss' pugnacity. He presently picked to punish the perished prowler posthaste. He prudently produced his polished point and purposely padded from his position to put down the pallid plague.

He savagely swung his scimitar at the Nim, hoping to take its head off, but the zombie managed to evade the attack with a surprisingly quick jump. It slashed at the Leonin with its claws and Argoth screamed in pain as he felt the putrid fingers lacerating his flank. Ignoring the lancing pain in his side, he charged again, scimitar held high. The zombie moved surprisingly fast for its size and for being an undead. It sidestepped the Leonin's blow and rammed its shoulder into Argoth's chest. The Leonin was pushed back, the wind knocked out of him.

As he struggled to recover his breath, Argoth backed away from the advancing Nim, pointing his scimitar at the zombie in a feeble attempt to intimidate it. The Nim was unimpressed by the Leonin's weapon and charged him, its mouth open in a gurgling cry as it went in for the _coup de grace_. The Nim raised its clawed arm high above the Leonin's head, preparing to bring it down to finish off his opponent.

Argoth couldn't believe it. He couldn't die; not now! He was still young and was looking forward to many more years of his life. He wanted to find a mate and raise cubs with her then die in battle, not at the hands of this fowl creature. With a cry of despair, he lurched up, determined not to go down without a fight.

The zombie didn't expect the Leonin's sudden attack and was knocked onto its back by the fury of the blow. The two combatants struggled on the ground, a whirlwind of teeth and claws, locked in a duel to the death.

Argoth sank his fangs into the Nim's shoulder, ignoring the execrable taste of rotten flesh that invaded his mouth. The zombie roared in pain and smashed his fist into Argoth's head. The Leonin saw stars and released the Nim's shoulder. The zombie threw him off, Argoth slamming into a tree trunk and sliding heavily to the ground.

He shook his head, trying to clear the buzzing sensation in his ears. As his blurred vision came back into focus, he saw the Nim leaping at him, jaws open wide. Panicked, Argoth instinctively brought his arms up to protect himself. The Nim crashed into him and he was pinned to the ground by the zombie's weight.

As he lay under the zombie, its weight crushing him, he thought of Alaysia. He only wished he could have seen her one last time before dying. He hoped the Nim didn't leave his body lying out in the open to be found by his tribe. He would hate for Alaysia to remember him as a mutilated corpse. Closing his eyes, he awaited death's sweet embrace.

However, the seconds elapsed on and Argoth's heart continued beating in his chest. The zombie's harsh breathing on the other hand had stopped. Puzzled, Argoth braced his back against the ground and managed to roll the zombie off him; it was dead. Argoth's metallic hand had pierced the Nim's tough skin and punched a hole in its chest. With a shudder of disgust, he pulled his hand free with a sickening squelch. Wiping the gore off his arm, he couldn't help but wonder how this creature had gotten so far from the Mephidross. The Nim did not just wander off alone.

Stepping forward, the Leonin winced at the pain in his side. Examining the three diagonal gashes the zombie had given him, he decided they weren't life-threatening, but he still resolved to have them looked at when he returned to the village. Since the Nim lived in the swamps, they were probably crawling with disease.

Leaving the Nim's corpse to be consumed by scavengers and sheathing his scimitar, Argoth ventured further into the tangle, trying to pick up Alaysia's scent. The wound in his side pained him at every step and more than once, he had to stop and catch his breath. It was during one of these breaks that he perceived an overwhelming odor. There was an old Leonin in his village that had been to Mephidross during one of the many wars against the Nim. He had painted a vivid description of the swamps. He described them as a desolate place where all the joy seemed to be sucked out of you. What had engraved itself in Argoth's memory was the description of the stench. The elder had said, "When you approach the swamps, you can smell it: the putrid stench of death. The mere smell caused many soldiers to lose their nerve and flee, but the rest of us pressed on, trying to stomach the stink. When you got to the swamps, that's when it really hit you. The stench is so thick, you can almost see it. You fear every breath you take will be your last, so toxic is the air you inhale."

Now Argoth understood the full horror of what the elder had described. The stench overwhelmed him, his stomach heaved and he fell on all fours, regurgitating the contents of his stomach. As he looked up, wiping his lips and tasting bile in his mouth, he froze in terror at what he saw through the trees. An army of Nim was making its way through the forest, headed directly for his village. They were at least three hundred strong. Argoth's village only possessed a garrison of one hundred soldiers and a handful of skyhunters. They had no chance against the enemy.

He immediately resolved to run back to his village and warn his people. If they acted fast, they could evacuate most of the village before the Nim reached the outskirts of the forest. He turned and hobbled as quickly as he could toward his village. As he did so, a thought struck him: Alaysia was still in the Tangle and with the Nim she was now in more danger than ever. This was quite the dilemma. He began pacing, torn between his loyalty to the village and his love for his sister.

The metallic blades of grass grew to stillness in the wake of Argoth's pace coming to a halt. It was not a look of horror, but more of despair that crept across his face. His mind was torn asunder, both hemispheres ushering a different path. It was not a question of love or care, his home and his family was but one and the same to him. Dare he risk his sister's life to do his duty and alert the village?

Shaking his head in a growl, caught in a spiraling dilemma with time weighing heavier on his shoulders, he made his decision. The deontologist within him forced him into duty, a tear of pain and hope running down his cheek as he sprinted towards the village.

His leg pained him terribly, but he pressed on, the scent of the Nim following him through the forest. As he ran under some low branches, he found himself face to face with a female Leonin. She wore a leather brassiere and loincloth. Around one of her thighs was a golden metal bracelet, sign of her status as a skyhunter-in training. Her eyes lit up when she saw Argoth. "Brother!" she exclaimed, embracing him.

"Alaysia, we must flee this place!" said Argoth, relieved at seeing his sister safe and sound. He seized her hand and continued heading for the village, pulling her along.

"What is the matter?" asked Alaysia, sensing the urgency in her brother's voice.

"The Nim are preparing to attack our village. We must warn them!"

"Brother, look!" shrieked Alaysia, staring behind them. Argoth turned and froze in horror. The Nim army was behind them and rapidly advancing. The two Leonin sped up, trying to keep ahead of the Nim horde. It was evident the Nim had spotted them. Their cries filled the air and they seemed driven by new vigor.

Argoth was severely hampered by his leg. With every step, excruciating pain shot through his body. Finally, his leg gave out and he fell to the ground with a cry.

"Brother!" exclaimed Alaysia, rushing to his side and helping him up.

"Alaysia. Run. Get to the village," said Argoth "You must warn them before it is too late."

"I cannot leave you!"

"You must! My life is nothing compared to out entire village!" said Argoth firmly, eyeing the Nim who were getting closer.

"I am staying!"

"This is an order! GO!"

"You're not father!" said Alaysia. She stood and placed herself before her brother, trembling but ready to give her life to protect his as she faced down the Nim. Clasping her hands together, she focused, calling upon the strange powers she had come to be aware of during the past months. She didn't quite know how they worked, but it was the only thing she could think of to save her brother.

Her hands burst into flames, but she wasn't alarmed. The first time it had happened, she had panicked and gotten severely burned. She had soon learned to relax and let the flames act on their own. The fire collected on the ground in front of her in an oval shape about the size of her two paws clasped together. The flames died down, leaving a brown egg on the ground. In the center of the front of the egg was a white oval with several white streaks radiating from it. The oval began to glow white and the glow spread to the streaks. With a resounding bang, the egg erupted, throwing Alaysia to the ground. Looking up, she saw a monstrous creature standing where the egg had once been.

It stood on multiple spindly legs that defied the laws of physics by supporting the monstrosity above them. Exhaust pipes stuck it from its backside, spewing black smoke into the air. Its arms ended in two large pincers and rows of sharp, circular blades were mounted on its chest. Its entire head was a dome with jagged metallic teeth around the underside of the front half. It gave a threatening roar and scuttled off towards the Nim, cutting through them like a hot knife through butter.

The Nim were in disarray. They swarmed the creature, trying to take it down. Many met their end by the creature's claws or were crushed by its massive weight. In the commotion, Alaysia managed to get Argoth on his feet. He draped an arm around her shoulder for support and the two Leonin made their escape.

"Alaysia, how did you do that?" asked Argoth when the cries of the Nim had faded in the distance.

"I-I don't know," said Alaysia "Argoth, I don't know what's happening to me."

To be continued…


	17. Melna

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.

* * *

**Chapter 17-Melna**

"This…this is horrible," gasped Khell. Tyr and the Keepers had just teleported near the outskirts of Melna, a large city a few hours from the settlement. Tyr had visited it in the past. It had once been a thriving urban center. Its port was a major trading center and every day, the streets would be packed with people converging to the markets, which boasted a great number of craftsmen and vendors.

Now, one would never have guessed the city could have ever been such a vibrant, lively place. The city was in ruins. Many buildings had been destroyed and the rest were in a state of considerable disrepair. Fires burned throughout the city, the black smoke billowing into the sky.

As they approached the city, they passed through pastures littered with slaughtered cattle. Tyr bent down to examine it; the animal had been disemboweled and its eyeballs had been plucked from their sockets.

"Well, this is certainly a pleasant sight," he muttered, standing up.

"Did Erik really do this?" asked Eva.

"It wasn't Erik's doing," said Khell solemnly "Chihowaido is in control and this is just the type of sick, twisted act he would perform."

_**The old buzzard hasn't changed a bit. This is the same thing he used to do to those who would refuse to join him.**_

_I don't suppose you were much better?_

_**My methods were a lot more refined. I would never have left all these corpses lying around to rot. It was much more effective to reanimate them and send them out to wreak havoc.**_

_Yeah, much better._ _There's something I don't get; with your necromancy you should easily have won the war, since you could just reap the battlefields for fresh soldiers._

_**That worked for a while, but then they got smart and started using enchantments that caused anything killed to immediately turn to dust.**_

_The equivalent of a 'remove from the game' effect?_

_**Exactly.**_ _**With no corpses, there was nothing to reanimate, but fortunately, there was a fresh supply of beings I could harvest for my armies against their will.**_

_So how could you _not _have won?_

_**I grew overconfident and that was my downfall. Never assume yourself to be invincible.**_

_I'll keep that in mind._

As they entered the city, they stopped, revolted by the sight that met them: dead bodies lay everywhere, their blood splashed all over the streets and buildings. Many of the corpses had horrified expressions on their faces. Some of them had literally vaporized, leaving a scorched outline of their body on whatever surface they had died on.

Arrathir barely glanced at the horrors surrounding them. He'd become somewhat desensitized to such things, having seen his share of massacres. Eva was quite shocked by all this. Even more shocking was the fact that it had been caused by someone she knew. Charles remained emotionless, as always, but under his mask of indifference, anger was brewing. How could Chihowaido slaughter an entire city on a whim? It went against every principle of white mana!

**;You forget, Cannon, that in its purest form, White can be just as destructive and 'evil' as black and is willing to do whatever it takes to uphold the law;**

;This isn't upholding the law! This is madness!;

**;This** **is a **_**lloy's **__**modus operandi**_**. Chihowaido is trying to frighten Chikuro with this display of power. In his eye, the ends justify the means. As long as Chikuro is alive, Chihowaido will stop at nothing to kill him;**

;Then why doesn't he just attack us now?;

**;He** **knows the other Keepers will defend Chikuro. Since he recently awoke, Chihowaido's power is still relatively low compared to say, Arrathir's or Khell's. He is training himself through this;**

;What about me? I haven't been doing much summoning or dueling. Shouldn't I be training?;

**;There** **will be opportunities, Cannon. As it stands, you are the weakest of the Keepers. Khell is the strongest, due to his experience as a summoner and being awoken second. Arrathir, who was the first to awaken would be second, followed by Eva then Chihowaido;**

;So where were you when the Keepers reigned?:

**;Third. Chihowaido was the strongest, followed by Chikuro. Chiruu and Rin were about the same;**

;I'd have thought you would be number one. After all, knowledge is power;

**;Understand, Cannon, that Chikuro and Chihowaido actively sought to become more powerful. Ever since they met, it has been a constant competition to outdo the other. The rest of the Keepers also sought to gain power, but our quest was motivated by knowledge that would allow us to better understand, and thus aid, the Multiverse, whereas Chikuro and Chihowaido's was motivated by greed;**

The group had arrived in a large plaza. A large ruined building was at the far side; its mighty oak doors had been ripped partly off their hinges. Here, the body count was the highest. Evidently, the crowds had been driven here by the enemy and then slaughtered without mercy.

"We should spread out," suggested Tyr "Search for survivors."

"Doesn't look like we'll find any," muttered Arrathir grimly.

"Someone gather the bodies and burn them," said Tyr "It is the least we can do for these people."

"I can create pyres from the wood debris and pile the bodies on them," said Khell "Eva, will you be able to light them?"

"Yes," said Eva, who was angrily looking at the death and destruction brought about by one of their own.

"Arrathir, you come with me to search for survivors," ordered Tyr "We'll search this way," he added, indicating a rubble-strewn street heading north.

"No, I'm going with Eva," said the black Keeper, possessively placing a hand on his mate's shoulder.

"We must speak…alone," said Tyr.

"I'll be fine," Eva told Arrathir, giving him a peck on the cheek "Come on, Charles," she added, heading for another street to the east.

"If you find anyone, see if they can confirm who did this," said Khell, summoning a few Woodland Elves to aid him in his grim task. The elves immediately started clearing the rubble, aided by a Craw Wurm Khell had also summoned.

"So what is it?" asked Arrathir as they left the plaza.

"I have not been entirely honest with you, Arrathir," said Tyr "I have come on behalf of your father."

* * *

Charles and Eva walked in silence through the streets of Melna. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two summoners. In fact, ever since her mating, Eva had noticed Charles seemed much more distant.

"Charles," began Eva.

"I know what you're going to say, Eva," interrupted Charles "I'm not angry at you for taking Arrathir as your mate. What is done, is done, and I cannot dwell on the past or let my emotions come in the way of our friendship."

"Well, I'm glad," said Eva "I value our friendship and would hate to lose it because of what happened between Arrathir and I."

"We've already had this discussion," said Charles "That subject is closed. Let us focus on the task at hand."

Eva merely nodded, glad to have seemingly resolved the issue between them. The two Keepers advanced through the ruined streets, often having to clamber over piles of rubble or taking detours to avoid impassible obstacles. To aid in their search, Eva summoned two Spark Elementals and a Fledgling Dragon. She sent the elementals scurrying through the ruins while the dragon circled overhead. Charles summoned a few breezekeepers and sent them off as well, the creatures phasing through the rubble as they searched for life forms.

They soon came to a crossroad in the middle of which was a fountain of a winged woman holding an urn, from which reddish water poured into the basin at her feet; the water's color a grim reminder of how much blood had been split that day.

Suddenly, Eva's ears pricked up. "There's someone here," she announced, sniffing the air.

"Over there," said Charles, doing a quick mana reading of the area. He indicated a low building whose facade had been partially reduced to rubble. Amazingly, the roof hadn't collapsed.

"Hello?" said Eva, walking up to the building "Are you all right?"

There was a clatter of stones and something shot past Eva, knocking her to the ground as it took off down an alley.

"You OK?" asked Charles, helping Eva up.

"Fine," said Eva "Come on!" She took off after the figure, Charles close behind her.

"It's bloody fast," said Charles as the figure ahead of them darted into a building.

"We're faster," said Eva, leaping up through a second-floor window in time to see the figure dash up the stairs and jump out a window onto a nearby roof.

"Did you get a look at it?" asked Charles, appearing beside Eva in a flash of blue light.

"I think she's a girl. I saw she had long hair," said Eva, jumping out the window

"She sure is in a hurry to get away from us," said Charles, following Eva out the window as the figure bounded across the rooftops.

"She probably thinks we're with whoever did this," said Eva "Can't blame her: if I was in her shoes, I'd be terrified as well."

"All right, that's it," said Charles "Time to end this chase." The Keeper of Blue Mana vanished in a blue flash and reappeared in front of the figure, which ran headlong into him, falling to the ground with a small cry of pain. Charles saw that she was indeed a girl, maybe 10 years old or so. She had scraggly black hair and wore a brown tunic and torn, dirty pants. Her face was streaked with tears and dirt. Blood was splattered all over her front, arms and legs. She stared fearfully up at Charles and backed away from the Keeper, seemingly expecting him to attack at any moment.

"Hey, it's OK," said Eva, reassuringly placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "We're not going to hurt you."

The girl turned around and looked up at Eva. Giving a small cry, she threw herself into the Keeper's arms, hugging her tightly and burying her face into Eva's body.

"See?" Eva told Charles as the girl began weeping into her dress "She's just terrified. What is your name?" she asked the sobbing girl. The girl looked up at Eva with tear-filled eyes.

"Mira," she said before returning to her crying.

"Mira? That's a pretty name," said Eva "I'm Eva and that's Charles. We're here to help you." She began stroking the girl's back, trying to comfort her. She sat down and cradled the girl in her lap. Eventually, Mira began calming down, her sobs turning into gentle whimpers.

"Mira," said Charles "Where are your parents?"

"I-I," said Mira, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "They're dead. Momma came home and she was bleeding. She told me to run and hide. I didn't wanna leave her, but men with sword came and they…" she burst into tears and embraced Eva again.

"How sickeningly sweet," drawled a voice behind Charles. He turned to see a slim woman with short black hair and high cheekbones standing a few meters away. She dressed in a black leather bustier and a black skirt with a slit down the side. She had a whip on her waist and held a rope in the other. The end of the rope was tied around the neck of a young girl. The girl, who was much shorter than the woman, stood silently behind her, hanging her head so her blonde hair obscured her face. She wore a sleeveless white dress and had a copper bracelet on one wrist.

"Did you do this?" barked Eva, gesturing to the ruined city around them.

"It would appear someone beat us to it," said the woman "What a pity. I was so looking forward to a good slaughter, but that does not matter since our objective had been to draw you here."

"Who are you?" asked Charles.

"Oh, I am sorry," said the woman in mock apology "I am Pain and this is my slave, Pleasure," she gave the rope a sharp tug, causing the girl to fall to her knees with a small cry of pain.

"You're another of the One's cronies, aren't you?" snarled Eva.

"The One?" scoffed Pain. "We never worked for that weakling; quite the other way around in fact. We tired of his incompetence and decided to take matters into our own hands."

"Eva Pezrokov and Charles Wainscot, we challenge you to a duel," said Pleasure in a hushed, submissive voice.

"Who gave you permission to speak, slut?" hissed Pain, cuffing the girl roughly.

"Sorry, Mistress Pain," said the girl, her voice never rising above a whisper.

"As my _slave_," said Pain, her voice full of contempt "Said, we challenge you to a duel!"

"Is that the only reason you creeps show up?" asked Eva.

"It _is_ somewhat of a recurring pattern," agreed Charles "A tag-team mach it is then? It has been a while since we've seen a duel."

"Yeah," agreed Eva "I've been wondering when the next one would show up. We used to have a lot more back when this started."

"Well, it was nice to have a bit of a break from them. It allowed us to sort out a few personal issues."

"True, but it is nice to be getting back into the swing of things," said Eva.

"Are you going to stand there and jabber all day or are we going to duel?" yelled Pain.

"Fine," said Charles "As Keeper of Mana, I accept your challenge. Albeit a waste of our time."

"And you think you aren't a waste of mine?" sneered Pain as her hands erupted into black flames. "Having to deal with the two weakest Keepers first, pah!"

To be continued…

Author's Note: Yeah, I'm back. Phear the author!


	18. Pain and Pleasure

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.

* * *

**Chapter 18-Pain and Pleasure, Part 1**

"Mira, you need to go hide," said Eva, prying the girl off her.

"Don't leave me!" cried Mira.

"I promise I won't leave you," said Eva, hugging her "You just go hide in a nearby building and don't come out until I come get you. Understand?"

Nodding, the girl ran off and climbed down the rubble, entering a structure across the street.

"I'll begin," said Pain as black mana flared around her. Three black flames separated from her body and collected in front of her. The mana shaped into an enormous dragon with a long, barbed tail. Mounted on the dragon's back was a cloaked figure holding a battle sword in one of its skeletal hands and the reins to the horror it was riding in the other. The dragon gave a chilling screech and, spreading its great, leathery wings, took to the sky, perching on a pile of rubble nearby.

Charles recognized the creature right away: Hypnotic Specter. A 2/2 flyer that made the opponent it damaged discard a card. Evidently, Pain had played a Dark Ritual to gather the necessary mana to summon this creature.

"Eva, you take care of that thing," said Charles. He didn't have enough mana to summon, so he merely tapped into an Island and nodded to Pleasure to signal the end of his turn.

The girl's body merely glowed white faintly before she said, "I am finished."

"I'm on it," said Eva, gathering her mana. Dark clouds assembled overhead and thunder rumbled as, with an ear-splitting crash, a gigantic bolt of electricity shot down and electrocuted the Hypnotic Specter.

"Pah!" said Pain "That was a mere warm up." Suddenly, the entire playing field was bathed in a dark blue light, the sun overhead becoming blurred. Dark, ghostly figures appeared in the air, floating around the field. As one passed by Eva, she shivered at its sight. It was a skeleton with bits of skin still hanging off its limbs. Its long, silky hair floated eerily behind it.

"How do you like the Lake of the Dead?" grinned Pain. "It costs me a swamp, but the price is well worth it."

"It lets you sacrifice a swamp to add four black mana to your mana pool," said Charles.

"Exactly," said Pain "And it also acts as a swamp, so I'll just use the mana to cast another Dark Ritual," The black flames formed into a tri-horned winged creature with a scythe-wielding rider. "To summon Hollow Specter (2/2)!"

"I'm done," said Charles, merely gathering another Island.

Again, Pleasure merely gathered a Plains before ending her turn.

"Looks like I'm taking out the trash again," sighed Eva, gathering a Mountain before sending a torrent of fire to incinerate Pain's creature. As Eva ended her turn, Pleasure's body glowed brightly. "Life Burst," she merely said.

**PAIN: 20  
CHARLES: 20  
****PLEASURE: 24  
****EVA: 20**

"My slave knows her place," said Pain as four black flames shot from her body and formed into another winged creature, this one blue and carrying a rider dressed in a red cloak and holding a long lance. "My Abyssal Specter (2/3); isn't it nice?" asked Pain "Next, I'll pump it up a bit." Black mana flared around the creature and it grew larger (4/4). "End turn," she said.

Charles gathered yet another Island before passing his turn.

Pleasure raised her hand to the sky and brought it around in a circular motion. As her arm moved through the air, a red light followed it. As she was about a quarter of the way through her motion, the red light changed to blue and then green as she passed the midway point. It then became black and finally, white as she finished the circle. The multicolored light ring hung in the air for a few seconds before rotating onto its side and hovering above Pleasure's head.

;Shit! Is that what I think it is?;

Gathering his mana, Charles snapped his fingers, the circle of light flickering for a moment before vanishing in an explosion of mana.

"Story Circle," said Charles "Nice try."

"Idiot!" snapped Pain, cuffing pleasure on the side of the head. "You know he's a counter whore!"

"Sorry, Mistress," said Pleasure.

"My turn then," said Eva "Boom!" An explosion rocked the field and all four summoners were thrown to the ground as the blue tint around them disappeared. "No more Lake for you," she grinned, getting back up. Pain glared hatefully at her as she stood. "I'm not done yet," she added, electricity crackling at her fingertips. A bolt of lightning shot from her fingers and hit Pain squarely in the chest. She reeled back and gasped in pain.

**PAIN: 17  
CHARLES: 20  
****PLEASURE: 24  
****EVA: 20**

"Mistress!" said Pleasure, for the first time raising her voice. She ran to her side, but Pain merely pushed her away.

"Get off! I'm not weak like you are!" she snarled.

"Y-Yes, Mistress," stammered Pleasure, going back to her spot.

"Little girl," Pain snarled at Eva "You're going to learn what happens when you cross me! I'll cast another Unholy Strength on my Specter (6/5)!" The creature grew even more, towering over the field.

"I don't _think_ so," said Charles, shaking his finger and tut-tuting. "Force Spike!" As quickly as it had grown, the creature deflated back to its previous size.

"That little move has incurred you my wrath," sneered Pain. "Attack!"

The creature charged forward, its rider pointing its lance straight at Charles. The Keeper of Blue Mana was sent flying off the edge of the roof by the force of the impact. As gravity took over, Charles managed to pull himself together and Teleported back to the roof, a large cut in his arm and his chest bruised by the blow.

**PAIN: 17  
CHARLES: 16  
****PLEASURE: 24  
****EVA: 20**

As he stood there, panting, Charles reeled as he felt a sharp pain lance his mind. It felt as though a piece of his psyche had been torn out.

;Right, the creature's effect: I discard a card;

"What's your response to that, weakling?" taunted Pain.

;She's right. I'm weak. I've hardly dueled at all and Teleport seems to be the only thing I can do. I'm not ready for this;

**;Don't**** doubt yourself so easily, Cannon. You're stronger than you think. Plus, wasn't it you who wanted to train more?;**

;I can't do this, Chiburuu;

**;Charles****, we don't have time for this! Now pull yourself together and continue the duel!;**

;What's the use? I'm of no help to Eva;

**;OK****, that's it, I'm taking over. I have no time for a pessimistic weakling;**

"Go," said Chiburuu, a droplet of water appearing on Charles' forehead as he took over, gathering another Island.

* * *

"My father?" Arrathir asked in disbelief. "He's alive?" 

"Yes," said Tyr "He's been following your progress and is pleased with how your skills have been developing."

"I don't believe this!" yelled Arrathir "He abandons me, doesn't contact me for years, and now that I'm a Keeper of Mana, he wants to patch things up? Well fuck him!"

"Don't be too hard on him, Arrathir," said Tyr "He regrets not being there for you while you were growing up, but he had his reasons for leaving and believe it or not, they were for your sake."

"Why should I even _acknowledge _his existence?" snarled Arrathir.

"Like it or not, he is your father and you have a blood bond with him," said Tyr "He truly wishes to meet you, Will you at least consider meeting him?"

"I want nothing to do with that bastard," said Arrathir, walking ahead of Tyr. Sighing, Tyr followed through the ruined streets.

* * *

As Pleasure cast her spell, the ground around her took a golden hue. She made no further moves, but Chiburuu knew the enchantment she had cast. 

**;Obviously Aurification;**

"Eva, don't attack Pleasure," he warned the Keeper. "Unless you want your creatures turned into golden statues."

"Understood," said Eva. "That Specter's grown too powerful for my liking," she added, pointing at Pain's creature. Extending her right hand towards the creature, she raised her left hand behind her head as her other hand began glowing. Thrusting her left hand forward, she released her spell, a torrent of fire shooting from her right hand and hitting the Specter squarely in the chest, burning a hole in the creature's flesh. The Specter screamed in pain as the fire consumed it and flopped to the ground, writhing in pain before exploding into black mana. Eva winced as the spell's intense heat burned her hand.

**PAIN: 17  
CHARLES: 16  
****PLEASURE: 24  
****EVA: 18**

Dark flames surrounded Pain as she cast her third Dark Ritual. The ground shook as an enormous snake burst from a pile of ashes in the streets below. Its jawless mouth was studded with sharp teeth. Its grey skin was burned in many places, exposing its pink flesh. Its two arms hung below its mouth and ended in sharp claws. The creature raised its head up as it slithered to Pain's side and threateningly waved its claws at the Keepers.

"Akuta, Born of Ash (3/1, Haste)," said Pain, stroking the creature's back. "Isn't it lovely?"

"Charming," said Chiburuu sarcastically, shaking his finger in disapproval "It'll have to go." The creature disappeared in a blue flash. "Well, that was impressive," he added. "Done?"

"Fine," said Pain, seething.

"End of your turn, I'm going to be a bit impulsive," said Chiburuu, casting another spell. He saw four images in his mind. One was of a brown-skinned man dressed in wizard's robes. Grinning, Chiburuu focused on the man, imprinting his image in his mind. "I'll just get an Island," he added.

Pleasure gathered another Plain and, collecting her mana, summoned a new creature. The mana formed into three pillars and solidified into three stone statues. The figures had aven faces and their great wings were folded back. Each of them held a lance in their claw-like hands.

"Ageless Sentinels (4/4)," announced Pleasure.

"Right!" said Eva "The best defense is a good offence!" Gathering her mana, she summoned two creatures. The first was a small, yellow, horned spark of energy. Eva almost lost her mana tie to the creature, so great was the thing's energy. The second creature was likewise composed of pure energy and strained in Eva's mental grip, eager to wreak havoc. "Get her, boys!" said Eva, sending her Spark Elemental (3/1, Haste) and Ball Lightning (6/1, Haste) at Pain.

The summoner was thrown back by the force of the impact and lay on the ground for a few seconds, twitching as the creatures' energy coursed through her body. Slowly standing up, she glared hatefully at Eva.

**PAIN: 8  
CHIBURUU: 16  
****PLEASURE: 24  
****EVA: 18**

"You'll pay for that, you little bitch," she spat.

"Come get me," laughed Eva. "If you can get past Chiburuu's counter-spells, that is."

"I'll find a chink in his defense," said Pain, summoning another Hypnotic Specter (2/2). "For now, this will do."

"Ah, ah, ah," said Chiburuu as Pain was about to end her turn. "Not so fast. It is time to bring out an old friend." Chiburuu brought out his hands and, calling upon his mana, cast his spell. A brown-skinned man dressed in white robes with a sleeveless blue tunic over top. He wore a large purple sash around his waist with a smaller, gold-trimmed blue sash around it, this one held together by a golden buckle. In each of his hands, he held an oddly-shaped club with a golden tip. As his summoning finished, the man turned to the blue Keeper.

"Who summons me?" he asked.

"I am Chiburuu, Keeper of Blue Mana," said the spirit "Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir, I require you aid. Will you serve me?"

"The Keeper of Blue Mana?" asked Teferi "I have no knowledge of such a being, but to have summoned me you must possess great power."

"Indeed I do," said Chiburuu "I humbly ask you to aid me in this battle."

"So be it, Keeper," said Teferi "I will lend you my aid."

"Mistress," said Pleasure, trembling slightly "He just summoned a legend…"

"Shut up, slave," snarled Pain. "His legend is no match for mine!"

"Teferi is more than capable of defeating your abomination," said Chiburuu, gathering another Island. "Now, time to increase my mana stores. Sol Ring!" A blazing ring of fire appeared in front of the spirit. "This artifact can be tapped for two colorless mana, which I shall do now." The fire blazed brightly as two white flames shot into Chiburuu's body. "Now, Eye of the Storm!"

A swirling blue vortex appeared behind Chiburuu, at the center of which was a red, lidless eye. The eye stared unblinkingly out from the whirling maelstrom.

"Now, this enchantment's effect is a bit tricky, so stay with me," said Chiburuu "Whenever someone plays an instant or sorcery, the spell is sucked into the vortex before it resolves. However, after that the enchantment allows whoever cast the spell to cast all the spells that were previously removed by the Eye."

"I do not like the sound of that. Slave, deal with it!" ordered Pain.

"Yes, Mistress," said Pleasure as a snow-white unicorn appeared on the field. "I offer my Ronom Unicorn to destroy the enchantment." The unicorn reared up and charged at the Eye of the Storm. As its horn pierced the red eye, a piercing shriek echoed in the air as the unicorn was sucked into the vortex, which then diminished, leaving only the eye floating in mid-air. The eye then closed, vanishing from existence.

"Next, I shall summon four Martyr of the Sands (1/1)," said Pleasure as four old women with long white hair appeared before her. They were dressed in brown furn robes with a white, spotted collar.

"Time to bring out the big guns," said Eva. "I sacrifice two mountains for Scorched Ruins, which is ironic given our location." The ground around Eva became blackened with soot. "Fire is a powerful ally. It destroys life, but also begins new life, allowing me to draw mana from the ruined earth. However, since the ground has been ravaged by the fire, the mana is colorless. Now, I summon _my_ legend! Come forth, Ryusei, the Falling Star (5/5, Flying)!"

The sky grew dark as black clouds blotted out the sun. Fire shot out from the ground around Eva as an enormous, wingless dragon with scales made of hot coals and a fiery mane burst from the skies with a loud roar. Its long, snakelike body undulated as it flew over the playing field, sparks flying from its body. It screeched at Eva in defiance, seeming to demand who dared to summon it.

"I am Eva, Keeper of Red Mana," she said "I have called upon you to aid me, Ancient One." The dragon gave another roar, seemingly agreeing to Eva's request.

* * *

Arrathir and Tyr had been wandering the streets for a while now. The search was not going successfully as they had not yet found any survivors. As Arrathir sat down on a pile of rubble to rest, he happened to glance toward the sky and froze at what he saw: an enormous red dragon was flying over the city. 

"Tyr!" he called out, pointing to the sky. "What is going on?"

"It would seem the Keeper of Red Mana is partaking in a duel," said Tyr, seeing the dragon.

"WHAT?" yelled Arrathir, jumping to his feet. "I _knew _I should have gone with her!" He took off running towards the dragon.

"Arrathir! You must let her fight her own battles!" said Tyr. "That boy has not patience," he muttered as Arrathir disappeared among the rubble. "If he continues to grow more possessive of his mate, I fear for their relationship."

To be continued…

Author's Note: Well, first duel of Twilight. About damn time too! I'm starting my job this week (yay!) so that'll definitely cut into my writing time, but hopefully I can get the second part done soon. Props to Cannon (Lu Chao) who planned out the whole duel.


	19. Repudition

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.

* * *

**Chapter 19-Repudiation**

Upon returning to the village, Argoth had alerted the guards about the Nim forces nearby and the entire settlement had been thrown into turmoil; soldiers gearing up for battle, mothers ushering their cubs indoors and frenzied activity as the Leonin prepared to defend their village.

Argoth half-dragged his sister back to the family hut where their father had been waiting.

"Alaysia!" he shouted in his gruff voice, placing a protective paw around his daughter. "Are you all right? I've told you not to be wanderin' the Tangle!"

"I'm sorry, Father," she said, giving the old cat an apologetic hug. He shooed her inside and left with Argoth to the outskirts of the village where the Leonin soldiers were anxiously scanning the horizon, awaiting the Nim attack. The Leonin expected the putrid green gas that the Nim exuded to fill their lungs, to wane their waxed warrior hearts, yet the air was still fresh. As the minutes ticked by, the warriors began growing restless. Finally, scouts had been dispatched to investigate. They had promptly returned, announcing there was no sign of the undead.

Rashnak turned to his cub, having confirmed to the wasted effort of their pride.

"You come here crying wolf!" he roared. "We are lions, we have honor to uphold!"

His son, too frightened of his father's anger lowered his ears in submission. A silence came across him, his lips closed as if in a granite grip.

"Father," said Alaysia. She had not been able to bear staying hidden while her brother took the blame. It was time for her to confess the truth. The female was not at all scared of her father. With upstanding shoulders she replied to her father. "I have a gift father; I can use it for the benefit of the pride! I..."

A snarl and a stare that quashed any sense of her enthusiasm was her father's response. He would not believe such nonsense, not without proof. His cubs were playing some childish, and he decided they would grow up fast. His rage only made his voice bellow.

"You lie to the pride, and you are now lying to your father!"

His claws unsheathed, the ebony blades contrasting against his beige fur. Grabbing his son with his paw, the claws piercing the young cub's jacket, he held him close, a row of glistening teeth being thrust upon the young cub's face.

"You ask your sister to tell lies to cover your back!"

There was no chance for response, a small movement from his triceps and his son fell bruised onto the floor of their hut. Squirming, Alaysia couldn't but help to have tears stream down her face, each droplet forming in silver before becoming liquid again and hitting the ground.

Walking up in rage, Rashnak was not finished with his punishment. His mane was full of sweat by his flush of anger. His claw drew back, the paw flexed as if aiming for a perfect cut.

Just as the myriad of organic knives would strike across the cub's leg, they instead bore deep into a steel structure, seemingly to have appeared just in front of him. Rashnak, still thriving on the adrenaline of disappointment turned to his daughter, a line of liquid metal, as if mercury flowed from her sad eyes to the wall.

A blink, and the wall was dissipated, the father in shock could only just recoil his claws, eyes hung low. His son grasping his leg thanking that he still had it. His daughter rocking back and forth, muttering to herself:

"I wouldn't lie to my own father. I wouldn't lie to my own father. I wouldn't..

* * *

Ryusei's flaming body undulated over the battlefield as the dragon spirit circled overhead, awaiting its mistress' orders. Its mouth opened in a resonating roar that echoed throughout the ruined city of Melna. Pleasure gazed fearfully at the dragon, trembling under its piercing gaze. Pain noticed her slave's concern and sharply reprimanded her. 

"Pay no attention to the dragon, slave!" she snapped "It will not last long."

"Y-yes, mistress," stammered Pleasure, shifting her gaze downward.

"Right then!" said Pain, emphatically thrusting her hand out towards Chiburuu. "Attack the _ioqi_!" The horror spread its wings and gave a loud screech as it rose into the air and dove at Chiburuu. Its claws gripped onto the Keeper's shoulders and it began beating its wings, slowly lifting Chiburuu off the ground. The Keeper of Blue Mana screamed in pain as the talons dug into his flesh and struggled to free himself from the creature's grasp. In desperation, he ignited some blue mana and slammed the fistful of raw energy into the creature's leg. The horror screeched in pain and dropped Chiburuu, who, instead of plummeting to the ground, slowly floated down like an autumn leaf.

**PAIN: 8  
CHIBURUU: 14  
PLEASURE: 24  
EVA: 18**

Chiburuu reeled as he felt another spell being wrenched from his psyche. He clutched his head as a sharp pain jolted his brain.

**;All**** these mental attacks…she is planning to take apart my strategy by destroying my mind. If this continues, I'll lose all focus and won't be able to summon. Then Eva will be a sitting duck. I need to take her out as soon as possible. The other _yazu_ (summoner) shouldn't pose a problem once the _ghell_ is taken out. I'll need to plan this carefully, and hope Eva goes along with the plan;**

"Now, to get a little backup," said Pain. With a wave of her hand, the ground around her became littered with freshly-dug graves, the shovels still lying beside the mounds of earth that represented the final resting place of the beings that had perished from some unknown cause.

**;Obviously**** Zombie Infestation; **

Calling upon his mana, Chiburuu channeled the blue hue, now flowing around his hands into a shadowy figure; a swirling blue portal…

"What is this?" asked Pain, nervously staring at the pulsating figure.

"Oh, I won't tell you," snickered Chiburuu. "I'll just keep you in _suspense_." He nodded to Pleasure to indicate it was her turn.

The summoner's body glowed white briefly, indicating another Life Burst as her vital energy surged once more.

**PAIN: 8  
CHIBURUU: 14  
PLEASURE: 32  
EVA: 18**

Pleasure held out her hand and a small orb of white light appeared in it, pulsating gently, as if the light had a heartbeat. Suddenly, two pairs of hands burst out of the ground around Pain as two zombies extracted themselves from their earthly graves. The orb in Pleasure's hands grew larger, pulsating more rapidly and suddenly shot across the field, hitting Eva in the chest. The Keeper gasped as she felt herself being pumped full of energy.

"How do you like my slave's gift?" asked Pain. "Of course, by now you know that in our world, nothing comes free." Her hands glowed black and Eva felt a coldness grip her. She fell to the ground, clutching her chest in pain as the sudden rush of energy she had experienced reversed itself, seemingly sucking the life out of her. She gasped, struggling to catch her breath.

"Help…" she managed to gasp, turning to Chiburuu with pleading eyes.

;Do something!;

**;Why**

;She's dying! That was a False Cure!;

**;I**** see no reason to waste my mana helping her;**

;Well, if you won't, I sure as Hell will!;

"Not so fast!" said Charles, with a wave of his hand. Eva immediately felt the pressure in her chest diminish and felt incredible revitalized.

**PAIN: 8  
CHARLES: 14  
PLEASURE: 32  
EVA: 38**

"What took you so long?" growled Eva.

"Sorry, Eva, but Chiburuu wasn't going to help you," said Charles. "I had to step in."

"He was just going to let me die?" asked Eva in disbelief.

;_Were_ you going to let her die?;

**;I**** knew you wouldn't;**

;You…you can't just play with her life like this!;

**;Cannon****, you logic-less, pathetic minded sack of emotions. Just get on with the fucking duel;**

"Right, you bitch!" said Eva, snarling at Pain "You tried to kill me. Allow me to return the favor. Ryusei, attack!"

The legendary dragon reared up, its mighty jaws opening in a sinister roar. The flames dancing along the dragon's spine receded, becoming little more than flickering specks as all the fire in the dragon's body seemed to be drawn to its head in preparation for the attack. As Eva channeled more mana into the dragon, it became enraged towards the summoner who had tried to kill its mistress. In a violent deflagration, the dragon belched a torrent of flames at Pain, the _yazu_ disappearing among the flames. Pleasure recoiled from the intense heat, gazing in horror at where her mistress had stood. As the flames cleared, only charred stone remained where Pain had once stood.

**PAIN: 0  
CHARLES: 14  
PLEASURE: 32  
EVA: 38**

"NO!" screamed Pleasure, collapsing to her knees. "Mistress!"

The blue portal beside Charles flashed briefly, the figure solidifying as it continued to enter the physical realm.

"Eye of the Storm," said Charles, the swirling vortex with its red eye once again appearing behind him. "You may as well surrender now," he added, to Pleasure.

"N-No!" she sobbed. "Y-You killed her!" Still sobbing, she extended her hand, a white mist flowing from it and surrounding the Eye.

"Will you never learn?" sighed Charles, countering the spell.

Glaring hatefully at Eva, Pleasure's mana flowed around her, the mana separating into individual strands and forming a large web around the summoner. As Pleasure cast her next spell, wooden poles shot out of the ground. A thick mesh of netting appeared between them, forming an impenetrable barrier.

;Wall of Nets (0/7) and a Sunweb (5/6, Flying)? We've got her on the defensive now. She won't last long;

"Eva, ladies first," said Charles.

"With pleasure," snarled Eva, as the ground around her became even more blackened and scorched. "Ryusei, attack!" The dragon reared up again, but its flaming breath was blocked by the Sunweb as the netting moved to protect Pleasure. "More!" said Eva, casting a Brute Force on her dragon. The flames grew stronger, the web finally breaking apart under the fury of the dragon's attack. "Now let me show you the power of a Keeper!" said Eva. "The power of a demon!"

Closing her eyes, Eva focused on her _g'imu_, feeling the emotions her red mana encompassed. Anger, fear, hatred; all the emotions she always struggled to keep in check for Arrathir's sake. Now, she relished in these emotions, as they coursed through her mind. She could feel her demon awakening, feeding off her emotions. Whereas she usually repressed the demon, this time, she opened her mind to it, feeling the raw power flowing through her body. Nine gigantic flames appeared behind Eva, like nine fiery tails. Eva's eyes turned bright red as her mana swirled around her, the tails thrashing about behind her. Eva snarled at Pleasure, her tails fanning out, like the flaming plumage of a peafowl. Suddenly, Eva pivoted her hips towards Pleasure and the fiery tails lashed out at her, whipping across her body. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

**CHARLES: 14  
PLEASURE: 24  
EVA: 38**

"You…you…" gasped Pleasure, struggling to her feet. "You will pay! All of you! The One will avenge Mistress Pain's death!"

"Why doesn't he just come face us himself?" sneered Eva. "Quit sending his cronies after us."

"The One has his reasons for everything," said Pleasure. "If he wishes me to die for him, I will gladly do so, but I will not forgive you for Mistress Pain's death!" Pleasure's body began glowing bright white, the light intensifying until the Keepers had to shield their eyes.

"Charles, whatever she's doing, stop it!" said Eva.

"Right," said Charles. He raised his hands above his head and a flickering ring of red light appeared between them. The lights began to spin, seeming to draw the white light to them. The blinding light soon diminished and soon, was no more. "Eva, finish the bitch off," he sneered as Pleasure looked about in confusion. "Use the Eye."

Dark clouds gathered over Pleasure's head as thunder rumbled. A bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds and struck the summoner, knocking her to the ground. At the same time, the Eye pulsed as a second bolt of lightning struck it.

**CHARLES: 14  
PLEASURE: 21  
EVA: 38**

"Hurts, doesn't it?" sneered Eva. "I'm not even done yet!" The ground around Pleasure exploded in flames. She screamed in pain as the fire burned her body cruelly. As Pleasure writhed in agony, flames shot up around the eye, which again pulsed and absorbed the flames in the swirling vortex. "Now the Eye's power activates!" said Eva "When a spell is played, the Eye sees the spell and absorbs its mana. When another spell is played, the Eye can release all the spells it has previously absorbed, so take another Lightning Bolt!" An electrical arc shot from the Eye, hitting Pleasure squarely in the chest. She stumbled back, shocked and still in pain from the fire.

**CHARLES: 14  
PLEASURE: 15  
EVA: 38**

"And take this!" screamed Eva, feeling the adrenaline pumping in her ears. Somehow, inflicting all this pain to the summer before her brought her satisfaction. She relished in hearing her scream in pain as her spells ravaged her body. "Ryusei, attack!" commanded Eva. "Enrage again!" The dragon spewed another jet of flames at Pleasure, who was by now writhing on the ground in pain as more fire consumed her body.

As she was about to unleash her final attack, Eva realized she held the girl's life in her hands. She knew that with another attack, she could kill her. The feeling of having so much power over an individual excited Eva. This must be what being a Keeper was about: the ability to play with people's lives, as if they were pawns in a game; a game Eva was determined to win. The lightning bolt arced from the eye, causing Pleasure's body to convulse a final time before she lay still.

**CHARLES: 14  
PLEASURE: 0  
EVA: 38**

"Yeah!" shouted Eva, pumping her fist in victory. "Take _that_, you bitch!"

"Eva, she's dead," said Charles "Why does this make you happy?"

"I just know that bastard was watching the fight," said Eva "Up until now, I've been afraid of him, but we've got to show him he can't intimidate us."

"Did you take pleasure in killing them?" asked Charles.

Eva paused. "Yes," she finally said. "It is them or us, and I don't intend to die easily."

"Well, it's over now," said Charles. "Let's find the others and get the Hell out of here. There's nothing more we can learn here."

"I agree," said Eva. "Wait," she added, as Charles began walking away. "I almost forgot Mira. Hang on, I'll go find her."

Charles nodded and Eva jumped down from the roof, going into the building where Mira had vanished.

**;Cannon****! Look out!;**

Charles' sixth sense barely managed to warn him and he instinctively moved out of the way, narrowly avoiding a large piece of rubble that had been thrown at him. As he looked about, searching for the origin of the attack, he was hoisted to his feet and found himself face-to-face with a furious Arrathir.

"I am going to _kill_ you," he snarled.

To be continued…

Author's note: I'm back. Yay? Props to Glen for the combo concept. Note that I did change the rating to 'M', as I feel the past few chapters have warranted it.


	20. Acrimony

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs

* * *

**Chapter 20-Acrimony**

"What were you thinking getting her in a duel?" snarled Arrathir.

"It's not like I really had a choice," said Charles "They challenged us."

"Why did you let Eva duel? How could you put her in danger like that?"

"I wasn't about to duel them alone," said Charles "And for your information, she handled herself remarkably, dealing both of the killing blows. She was in no serious peril."

"I _knew_ I should have gone with her! This never would have happened if she'd been with me!"

"Again with the over-protectiveness," sighed Charles.

"How could I not be? She is my mate. I love her," said Arrathir "If any harm were to come to her, I would hunt down the person responsible and tear out their fucking heart!"

"Pointless," said Charles "That would fail to achieve anything."

"It would send a message telling people to stay away from _my_ mate!"

"Is that all she is to you, a prize?" asked Charles "Do you only see her as yours to possess? Well, there's a trait worthy of the Keeper of Black Mana."

"Blow me," snarled Arrathir, releasing Charles.

"Tempting," said Charles, stepping back "But I wouldn't want to put your whore out of a job."

In a flash, Charles was on his back, the scythe of Arrathir's kusari-gama at his throat.

"_Never_ speak about Eva like that ever again!" he roared.

"Arrathir! What are you doing! Get off him!" yelled Eva, who had just returned.

"Stay out of it!" snapped Arrathir. "This is between Wainscot and me!"

"Quinn, I'll only ask once," threatened Eva, her hand bursting into flames. Grumbling, Arrathir banished his weapon and glared hatefully at Charles before getting off him.

"What is your problem?" asked Eva, standing before Arrathir with her hands on her hips.

"He insulted your honor," said Arrathir "His jealousy has no limits."

"Charles, I thought we'd been over this," sighed Eva.

"I cannot idly stand by as you remain mated to him. Maybe one day, you will realize that he's not the male for you," said the blue Keeper.

"OK, _what_ is going on here?" yelled Eva.

"Quinn is upset because you duelled," said Charles "Do you really want a mate who seeks to control you in such a way?"

"At least I protect her! You're the one who put her in mortal peril!"

"Mortal peril? Oh please, spare us the drama!" scoffed Charles.

"Are you _looking _for a fight, _ioqi_?" asked Arrathir.

"Against you, _ghell_? Don't make me laugh."

"ENOUGH!" Khell's booming voice rang through the air. The three Keepers turned to find the green Keeper standing on a roof across from their present location. With a wave of Khell's hand, vines sprouted from the stones, interweaving in a bridge that allowed him to cross over to them.

"Look at you two!" he scolded, standing before the Keepers. "You're bickering like children! This is not the time for this! Unless you've forgotten, we are currently being hunted by a maniacal Planeswalker who wants us dead, and the only way we can stand a chance against him is if we are united! Bickering will only spread dissention, which in turn, will weaken us. Arrathir," he said, turning to the black Keeper. "Eva is a fully-qualified summoner, and you know Chiruu would take over if she was in any real danger. Instead of preventing her from dueling, you should be encouraging her to do so! In this way, she will become better acquainted with her abilities. It is inevitable: she will be dueling again sometime in the future. You can't always be there for her, so would you rather she face these new foes without more experience?"

"I get the point," said Arrathir, rolling his eyes.

"Charles," added Khell, turning to the blue Keeper. "Eva has chosen Arrathir as her mate. The choice was hers to make and she knew full well what she was getting into. Even if you do not approve of their union, it is not your place to criticize it. They are together and bitching about it is not helping things! Grow up! And Eva," he continued, but then realized he had nothing to reproach her. "Why do you have two tails?" he finally asked.

"What?" asked Eva.

"You have two tails now," said Charles, tilting his head to look behind Eva. Craning her neck, Eva could see that she indeed now had a second tail poking out of the hole in her dress. It was identical to the first and Eva found she would easily move it, as if she had always had it.

(Chiruu?)

**(Yes, one thing I forgot to mention: I was a nine-tailed kitsune. I suppose this is a sign of your growing power. As you continue to awaken, more tails will appear. Once you fully always, all nine tails should be present.)**

(Nine tails? That must be incredibly difficult to manage. Don't they get caught on things or get in the way?)

**(You can simply shift forms to only display a certain number of tails. I usually only kept three tails present, except for formal situations where it was necessary to display the full authority of the Keeper. The nine tails of a kitsune are a symbol of great power. Having nine tails also has some…alternative uses which you'll discover eventually.)**

"Well, it seems the extra tail is due to my continuing awakening," Eva told the other Keepers.

_Chikuro, no other extra appendages you might want to tell me about?_

_**None that I can recall.**_

_That's reassuring…_

"Did you find any survivors?" asked Khell. "Anyone who could help us identify who is responsible for this tragedy?"

"Yes," said Eva. "Mira, come up!" she called. The girl's frightened face appeared over the edge of the roof. She peered fearfully at the new arrivals and ran to Eva, hiding behind her. "This is Mira," Eva told Arrathir and Khell. "Her parents died in the attack."

"Hello, Mira," said Khell, squatting so he was eye level with the girl. "My name is Khell. Tell me, do you like animals?" Mira nodded slowly. Taking a single orb of green mana, Khell fashioned it into a small brown mongoose with black stripes on its back and a long, bushy tail. "Here you go," said Khell, handing the animal to the wide-eyes girl. "Your very own pet."

Mira accepted the mongoose, speechless. The mongoose was not frightened by the girl and climbed up her arm, wrapping its furry body around the girl's neck. Still speechless, Mira gently petted the mongoose's soft fur.

"Do you like him?" asked Khell. Mira nodded, her eyes showing how grateful she was for the gift.

"Eva, can we speak?" asked Arrathir. "Alone," he added, nodding to Mira.

"Mira," said Eva, kneeling beside the girl. "We need to have some grown-up talk. Khell will stay with you and you can play with your new pet, all right?" Mira nodded.

"What are we going to do with her?" Arrathir asked Eva, when they had walked to the far side of the roof.

"She's an orphan. We can't just leave her," said Eva/

"We are _not_ bringing her along," hissed Arrathir.

"Well, we are _not_ abandoning her! Maybe she has family elsewhere. We need to find someone who will care for her."

"Out of the question," said Arrathir "Look, I know what happened is sad, but that's just how nature works. We can't waste time looking all over for a possible relative!"

"So you think saving a child's life is a waste of time?" snarled Eva. "Charles, you know I'm right," she added, the blue Keeper having wandered over their way.

"Actually, I have to agree with him," said Charles "It is not in out interest to help her. She will only slow us down and be another mouth to feed."

"I cannot believe you two!" growled Eva. "Has becoming a Keeper stripped you of all humanity? She is a child!"

"Helping her is not a priority," said Charles.

"What _are_ our priorities?" asked Eva.

"Well…" said Arrathir.

"We need to find Chihowaido and stop him before more cities are razed, all the while preparing to defend ourselves from further attacks from the One," said Charles.

"How do you propose we achieve this? Do we even know where we are headed next?" asked Eva. Arrathir opened his mouth to speak, but evidently could think of nothing and merely stood there, his mouth open and one finger in the air, as if he was about to make a point.

"Catching flies?" asked Charles. Arrathir's mouth snapped shut and he shot the Keeper a venomous glare.

"Well, since neither of you have any idea what to do next, we should help Mira! It is better than sitting around, waiting to get attacked!"

"She has a point," shrugged Charles.

"You're going along with this?" asked Arrathir.

"I know Khell will agree with her, so you're out-voted," said Charles "If you feel like striking out on your own, by all means, go ahead. Send us a postcard once in a while."

"Fine! Do as you will!" snarled Arrathir, throwing his arms up in exasperation.

"We need to find out if she knows of any relatives," said Eva, heading back to Mira, who was cuddling her mongoose in her arms, the animal nuzzling her neck. "Mira, do you have any family that lives elsewhere?" asked Eva.

"Uncle," said Mira.

"Do you know where he lives?"

"By the sea. He catches fish," said Mira.

"Have you ever visited him?"

"Yes," said Mira "Once with mamma and papa."

"And do you remember the name of the place where he lives?"

"I think it was called Wlusu," said Mira, after a few seconds of thinking.

"Do you remember how long it took you to get there?"

"Days," said Mira. We took a wagon with a horse."

"Any idea where this is?" Charles asked Khell.

"There are many fishing settlements along the coast," said Khell. "If we make our way down the coast, I'm sure we can find out where this Wlusu is."

"Just have Tyr Planeswalk us there," said Eva. "Speaking of which, where is he?"

"He was right behind me when we saw the dragon," said Arrathir. "He'll show up soon enough."

"What did he want to tell you?" asked Eva.

"I'll tell you later," said Arrathir.

"Well, I'll send out some creatures to find Tyr," said Charles, summoning several Aven Envoys. The birds took off, dispersing as they began searching the ruins.

The Keepers sat down, Eva taking Mira in her lap, and waited for Tyr. The minutes passed by with no sign of him. Occasionally, one of Charles' Avens would fly overhead, but none of them gave any indication that they had spotted the Planeswalker.

"Where is he?" snapped Arrathir after they had been waiting an hour without any news.

"He buggered off, I reckon," said Charles "I can't find any trace of his mana anywhere in the city."

"Well then," said Khell "It appears we are now on our own. We should make our way down the coast and try to find Wlusu."

"Any way you could Teleport us there?" Arrathir asked Charles.

"Why sure," said Charles, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Even with my mana severely depleted after that duel, I'm sure I could manage to Teleport all of us to a place I've never seen before over a distance we have no idea of, that is, if you don't mind the strong possibility of leaving half your body behind!"

"I was just asking…" grumbled Arrathir.

"Could we fly?" asked Eva.

"Your mana is too low to manage anything that could carry the five of us," said Khell "As well, we'd be traveling over populated areas and we don't want to cause a panic."

"This whole incognito thing is starting to piss me off," said Arrathir "Why do we have to keep hiding like this? Why can't we just reveal who we are? If we're supposed to be the saviors of the Multiverse, wouldn't people be glad to see us?"

"They would fear us," said Khell "They see summoners as half-gods and the idea of such powerful beings walking among them is frightening. We do no know how they might react. They may even attack us."

"Bring 'em on," muttered Arrathir "I'd rather slaughter the lot of them that all this sneaking around."

"How can you be so nonchalant? They are human beings!" said Khell.

"And we are half-demons!" said Arrathir "Why should we have to hide who we really are? It's taken me a while to accept what I am, so why should I have to hide it? If we're superior beings, we shouldn't have to fear mere humans!"

"Oh shut up!" said Eva "A little walking won't kill you!"

"Fine then. Let's get moving," sighed Arrathir, standing up.

"Come on, Mira," said Eva, gently shaking the girl who'd fallen asleep in her lap. The group made their way through the ruins until they reached the outskirts of the city.

"We have a long trek ahead of us, so we'll need to forage what we can along the way and maybe stop at a settlement for additional supplies," said Khell "We don't know how long it will be before we encounter the next settlement, so we'll have to start rationing the food and water."

The group set off across the plains, walking in a single file. Khell led the way, parting the tall grasses with his staff. Eva followed, Mira walking beside her. She seemed glad to be out of the city. The mongoose was curled around her neck, murring happily. Behind Eva was Arrathir. The Keeper of Black Mana followed sullenly, staring down at the ground before him. Charles was last, taking an occasional glance back at the city, from which a dark plume of smoke rose high into the sky.

;Déja-vu…;

To be continued…

Author's note: There you go. My birthday present to all my readers!


	21. Convocation

Disclaimer: Magic: The Gathering is copyright Wizards of the Coast. All original characters belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 21-Convocation**

Alaysia sighed impatiently as she tapped her fingers on her thigh. Her tail flicked behind her, betraying her restlessness. Her golden fur was matted with sweat, partly from the heat and partly from her anxiety. The tent was unbearably hot. She gazed longingly at the door were a cool breeze made the curtains covering the door flutter, giving her a glimpse of the village. How she longed to leave this stuffy tent and feel the wind caress her fur. She hated being confined like this. Alaysia was a free spirit and felt trapped indoors. However, she doubted the two Leonin standing guard outside the door would allow her to leave. They were under direct orders from her father to keep her in the tent until he returned.

She sighed again and flopped down on her bedding, staring at the dark brown ceiling. Lucky Argoth got to attend the meeting with the elders in the main tent while she had been ordered by her father to remain in the family tent.

After the whole village had witnessed her ability, she had been taken aside by the village elders and questioned at length about her newfound powers. She had repeated over and over that she did not know how she had caused the wall to materialize out of thin air and all she'd done was desperately wish for something to save her brother. Argoth had then been questioned about the supposed Nim attack and had revealed how she'd used her abilities to defeat the Nim army. After hearing how she'd more than likely saved the village, the elders had calmed down and had decided they needed to hold a council to discuss these new developments and Alaysia had been escorted back to the tent. Argoth had begged the elders to allow her to attend the meeting, but his request had been denied, so he promised his sister he would come to her as soon as it was over and tell her everything that had happened. This had been a small consolation to her and she impatiently awaited his return.

Suddenly, with a sharp rip, a knife sliced through the fabric by her head. Alaysia bolted upright and stared at the blade. It belonged to a short dagger. It wasn't particularly sharp and probably not meant for combat, but it was enough to cut through the thick cloth of the tent.

For an instant, Alaysia feared for her life. Why was someone trying to enter her tent like this? She considered alerting the guards, but then realized she was in no danger. If someone bore ill intent towards her person, they would not come with such a pitiful weapon. Various swords adorned the tent and, even though she hated to admit it, all the training her father put her through had turned her into a competent fighter.

The knife moved upwards now, parting the fibers of the cloth as it created a large gash in the cloth wall. As it continued its journey upward, Alaysia's hearts began pounding faster. Who was coming to pay her visit?

The knife finally stopped its ascent and a paw reached through the opening, parting the cloth to reveal a female Leonin. She wore simple robes with a brown sash. Her eyes twinkled with mischief and she broke into a wide smile upon seeing Alaysia.

"Nya!" said the stunned Leonin.

"Sorry I had to sneak in like this," said the newcomer "The guards wouldn't let me in."

"What are you doing here?" asked Alaysia, still shocked at seeing her best friend before her. The two had become close friends as cubs. Nya was mated to a Leonin warrior in the village.

"I came to fetch you," said Nya "Come on, we're going to listen in on the council."

"What? Father told me I had to stay here," said Alaysia "Has he changed his mind?"

"No, but you're going to be at that council," said Nya "Don't you think that you should be allowed to attend? The council's decision affects you personally! They have no right to keep you in the dark like this. You are a member of this tribe and have the right to heard what they have to say about your powers!"

Alaysia immediately recoiled at the mention of her newfound abilities. Nya immediately noticed her friend's discomfort. Truth be told, she was more curious about Alaysia's powers than afraid of them. If she could control the metal of her surroundings and shape it to her will, it could be a great asset to the tribe. Never again would they have to fear the Nim if Alaysia could create creatures to defend them.

"I-I don't know what's wrong with me," said Alaysia "What have I done to be cursed?"

"This is not a curse," said Nya "It is a blessing! It saved you from the Nim, so this is obviously a gift from the Gods!"

"I'm a freak," said Alaysia, tears welling up in her amber eyes.

"You aren't," said Nya, entering the tent through the slit and embracing her friend "You are gifted. One who is born skilled in the art of the sword is not a freak merely because they have talent. A gift from the Gods is not to be feared; it is to be embraced."

"What is going to happen to me?" asked Alaysia.

"That is why we need to listen in on the council," said Nya "Argoth sent me to bring you there."

"Argoth wants me to be there?" asked Alaysia.

"Yes, now come on! We want to get there before they finish," said Nya, pulling her friend through the slit.

"Wait," said Alaysia, struck with a sudden thought. She ran over to her cot and bunched up the blanket, stuffing her pillow under the covers to create the illusion of someone being in the bed. "I need to make sure the guards don't notice I'm gone," she explained, leaving the tent.

"Very clever," said Nya "Now come on."

The two Leonin made their way across the settlement. The going was slow because they had to avoid anyone who might recognize Alaysia and question her as to what she was doing out of her tent. Finally, they reached the center of the village, where the council hut stood. Two guards stood by the entrance.

"How do we get in?" asked Alaysia.

"You'll need to use your power to sneak us in," said Nya.

"I don't even know how it works!" protested Alaysia.

"What did you do when you made that wall that protected your brother?" asked Nya.

"I don't know!" said Alaysia "I just prayed for something to save him."

"Well, this time, pray for something to make the guards not see us or something."

"It doesn't work like that!" said Alaysia.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't control when I use it. It just happens when I really need it, like when I was so afraid that Argoth would…would…" she lowered her head, unable to think of what would have happened if she had not protected her brother.

"So it is triggered by strong emotions?" Nya frowned. "I've got it!" she exclaimed after thinking for a few seconds about this discovery. "You said it was unfair that you were not allowed to attend the council. You're angry, right?"

"Well, a bit, yes…"

"Focus on that anger," said Nya "Use that hatred!"

"I-I can't," sighed Alaysia "I just don't have it in me to bear such anger against the elders and my father."

"All right," sighed Nya "New plan: first thing to do is disguise your scent. I'm fairly sure your father would recognize yours. Here," she added, slipping out of her robes. "Put these on. My scent should sufficiently mask yours. Now, here's what you're going to do…"

* * *

When she entered the hut, Alaysia quickly ducked into the shadows by the wall and sat there in silence as she let her eyes adjust to the gloom of the interior. She could see that the Leonin elders were seated at the far side of the hut and seemed to be discussing something in hushed tones. Looking around, Alaysia saw Argoth sitting near the elders along with their father. The rest of the Leonin assembly sat in silence as the elders held their council. Presently, they seemed to have reached a decision.

Monyan, the eldest of the elders stood up and addressed the assembly. He was a very old Leonin with a white mane and a tired, disheveled face. Despite his aged appearance, he still held himself with elegance and dignity as he spoke.

"The elders have reached a decision," he said in a low growl "Alaysia's abilities are a gift we cannot ignore. She could be of great aid to us against the Nim, but she cannot stay here: she must go to Taj-Nar to serve the Kha."

"No!" Alaysia cried out "I could never bear the leave the village. My place is here!"

"Alaysia?" growled Rashnak "I thought I told you to stay in the tent!"

"Father, she must be allowed to stay," said Argoth "This decision deeply affects her. Elder, she must be allowed to have a say in this," added Argoth, turning to Monyan

"Very well," said the Elder "Alaysia, daughter of Rashnak, step forward." Nervously, Alaysia stood before the council, trembling from all the eyes staring at her. "You have heard the decision of the council. What have you to say?" asked Monyan.

"I-I," stuttered Alaysia "I do not wish to leave the village," she said, an unexpected feeling of calmness suddenly sweeping over her. She felt confident and her words conveyed this. "This is my home. I cannot leave my family behind."

"We understand your reluctance to leave everything you've known behind," said Monyan "However, you have a gift that could prove vital to our struggle against the Nim. You would be much more useful to your people by the Kha's side."

"Elders, I strongly object!" said Argoth, protectively placing his paws on his sister's shoulders. "Alaysia is not some weapon to be dragged into battle."

"Argoth, be quiet!" snapped Rashnak, standing up. "Elders, I apologize for my son's arrogance. He has yet to understand the way of the warrior!"

"I cannot believe you'd hand over your own daughter like some bauble! She is your flesh and blood!" said Argoth.

"I will have no more of your insolence!" growled Rashnak, raising a paw to strike his son.

"Enough!" roared Monyan. Rashnak paused, stunned at the Elder's sudden outburst. "Rashnak, we will not tolerate violence in this council. We can settle this argument in a civilized, peaceful manner. Now be seated, the both of you! Alaysia," he continued as the two males returned to their seats. "This council does not wish to impose its decision on you, should you truly be opposed to leaving. We would like you to strongly consider it before giving us your answer. The council is adjourned. We will reconvene tomorrow, at which point Alaysia will tell us if she wishes to journey to Taj-Nar to learn more about her abilities and be of aid to the Kha."

The elders stood and filed out of the hut as the assembly burst into hushed conversations about the council's verdict. Alaysia merely stood where she was, absorbing what had just happened.

"Come, Alaysia," said Rashnak, placing a paw on her shoulder. Still a bit dazed, she followed her father and brother out of the now-empty hut.

"Alaysia, you must not go," said Argoth as they headed back to the family tent. "The journey to Taj-Nar is far too perilous."

"Argoth, this decision is your sister's to make," said Rashnak. "We must not try to persuade her to chose either option and no matter what she decides to do, we must abide by her choice and support her in her decision.

"Thank-you, father," said Alaysia, a bit surprised. He had expected her father to pressure her to go with the council's decision and had already envisioned the conflict between Argoth and their father. This sudden gift of freedom from her father was a surprising, but welcome occurrence.

"I wish to be alone," said Alaysia, once they had reached the tent. "I need to meditate on this matter."

"Understood," said Rashnak. "Come, Argoth; let is allow your sister to think in peace."

Alaysia entered the tent and sat on her cot. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths to focus her thoughts. She was grateful to the council for giving her the final say, but at the same time, she wished they had not put her in this terrible dilemma, since she would now have to make a life-changing decision whether to leave her home for an uncertain future, or stay where she was and never find out more about her abilities. She was grateful for the council for giving her the final word, but at the same time, she wished they had decided for her. It would have saved her the dilemma she now found herself in.

On one side was her loyalty to her family and friends. She did not want to abandon them behind to pursue her own interests. After all, to leave for Taj-Nar would greatly affect her brother and father. She did not even know how long it would be before she would see them again and she knew that Argoth would sorely miss her if she left. However, she _was _curious about her abilities. Even though they frightened her, they had also saved her. Maybe if she learned how to use them, she could help people.

She sighed: her brain and heart were telling her two different things. Should she stay, or should she go? At least she had the night to decide. Lying on her cot, she closed her eyes. In the morning, she would know what to do.

To be continued…

Author's note: Yeah, I'm back. Been a while, eh? School's been crazy and I just haven't been able to find my groove, but hopefully, with the break nearing, I'll be able to get a bit more work done on this story. Thanks to James for his expert knowledge of the Leonin.


	22. Alaysia's excellent adventure

Disclaimer: Magic: The Gathering is copyright Wizards of the Coast. All original characters belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 22-Alaysia's excellent adventure**

"Have you come to a decision, Daughter of Rashnak?"

Alaysia felt her heart beat faster as all eyes turned to her. The assembly held its breath, awaiting her verdict.

A day had passed since Alaysia's powers had become known to the village. The rumor that Alaysia might be leaving for Taj-Nar to serve the Kha had spread through the settlement like wildfire and everybody was anxious to hear what she had decided. The council of elders was once again assembled in the Council Hut, but this time, the entire village was crowded around it.

"I have, Elders," said Alaysia. She paused for a moment to look at her family. She could see the fear in Argoth's eyes at the possibility of losing his sister. Rashnak looked calm, but Alaysia could see signs of anxiety in the old cat's face. "I have decided to abide by the council's request and go to the Den," said Alaysia. The assembly immediately burst into excited chatter and one of the cubs who'd managed to sneak in, ran out screaming, "She's going! She's going!"

"SILENCE!" roared Monyan, attempting to quiet the assembly so he could speak. Once the chatter had died down to hushed conversations, he turned to Alaysia. "Are you certain of your choice?" he asked.

"Yes, Elder," said Alaysia. "I wish to learn more about my gift and help my people."

"Then so be it!" said Monyan "You will depart for the Den tomorrow at dawn. The journey across the Razor Fields is perilous, so you will have an armed escort to protect you."

"Elder, may I make a request?" asked Argoth.

"Speak, young one," said Monyan.

"I ask that I be permitted to accompany my sister to the Den."

"The council cannot grant your request, Son of Rashnak," said Monyan, after a quick deliberation with the rest of the council. "Alaysia must make haste and in your condition, you would only slow her down."

"She is my sister! Elders, I beg of you…"

"The matter is closed, Argoth," said Monyan sternly. "Alaysia, this council recognizes your decision. Go now, and prepare for your journey."

"Thank you for your aid, Elders," said Alaysia, bowing to the council.

"This council is adjourned," said Monyan. The elders stood and filed out of the hut, the crowd parting to let them pass.

* * *

"I cannot believe you are going to abandon your pride!" said Argoth. The two Leonin had returned to her tent and Argoth was venting his anger at Alaysia's decision.

Alaysia sat on her cot, staring at the floor. Her brother's words pained her, but her mind was made up.

"I cannot believe you are being so selfish!" continued Argoth. "Think of Father and me!"

"Stop it!" yelled Alaysia. "You are the one being selfish! Why do you always hold me back? You're always forbidding me to do anything even slightly perilous! Let me make my own choices for once!"

Argoth was shocked. He had never seen Alaysia lose her temper and it was frightening to see the usually calm and demure Leonin glaring at him with burning eyes.

"Do as you wish," he snarled, storming out of the tent. Alaysia wanted to run after him and apologize, but she did not feel as if she had done anything wrong. Argoth couldn't go after the Elders had approved

Lying down on her bed, she still felt a great wave of sadness overtake her. What if something happened to him and the last memory she had of him was this? Turning over, she quietly sobbed into her pillow until sleep overtook her.

* * *

The next morning, Alaysia had awoken before dawn, unable to sleep any longer. She knew that from this day forth, her life would be forever changed. As she sat outside her tent, watching the moons of Mirrodin sink below the horizon, a sense of dread overcame her. She was leaving everything she had known behind for an uncertain future. For a brief moment, she considered going to the Elders and telling them she had changed her mind and wished to stay in the village, but she pushed this away. As much as she feared the thought of leaving the village, she could feel this was the right decision. Somehow, something was pushing her to leave; perhaps this was why she always enjoyed exploring the Tangle.

"It is time." said Rashnak, stepping out of the tent and placing a paw on his daughter's shoulder.

"Father, do _you_ agree with my decision?" asked Alaysia.

"I do not wish to lose my daughter, but it gives me great pride to see you taking control of your destiny. I knew the day would come when you would leave us, but I am glad you have chosen your path of your own will."

"I only wish Argoth saw it that way," sighed Alaysia.

"Your brother is still young. He will grieve your departure, but in time, will come to realize that perhaps you were meant for greater things than what our village has to offer."

"This isn't goodbye forever; we will see each other again, yes?"

"Of course," chuckled Rashnak. "I may be old, but the time has not yet come for me to leave you. Now come, you must be off."

Nodding, Alaysia returned to the tent and grabbed her pack, which contained her clothes, rations and a few personal items.

"I have something else for you," said Rashnak, rummaging through a trunk. He pulled out a long dagger in its sheath and presented it to Alaysia. "I pray you never have need to use this," he said "It belonged to your mother; may her spirit watch over you."

Taking the gift, Alaysia drew the dagger: it was a finely crafted, two-edged blade, approximately a paw and a half in length.

"It is Darksteel," said Rashnak, as his daughter examined the dagger. Alaysia gasped: Darksteel: a powerful, rare metal that was indestructible. Not even the corrosive mists of the Mephidross could consume this metal. Due to its rarity, pure Darksteel was seldom used to smith weaponry. The dagger she now held must have been worth a fortune! It was rumored there was a way to alloy Darksteel with other metals to render them more resistant.

"Father, it is beautiful. Thank you," said Alaysia.

"I am glad you like it," said Rashnak. "Now, we must see you off."

Tucking the dagger into her travel robes, Alaysia followed her father out of the tent and to the outskirts of the village where the tribe was gathered to see her off. Monyan and the Elders were there as well. Her escort, four of the village's best warriors was waiting, ready to accompany her on her long journey. When the crowd saw Alaysia, they began applauding. Alaysia blushed from the adulation, but continued walking until she reached the Elders. She bowed to them, as did Rashnak, and Monyan raised his paw to silence the crowd.

"A member of our pride leaves us today," he began "Alaysia, Daughter of Rashnak is bound for Taj-Nar to serve the Kha. We will lament her departure, but rejoice that one of us may prove to be a valuable asset to our war against the Nim!" The crowd roared in approval. "May Alaysia's journey take her safely to the Den and may we all live long enough to see her return one day. May her courage and dedication to her people be an inspiration for generations to come, and may her name and deeds be retold until the end of time!" Again, the crowd roared.

"Go forth, Daughter of Rashnak," said Monyan, this time to Alaysia. "May the Gods watch over you."

"Thank you, Elder," said Alaysia. "I will make our pride proud."

Embracing her father one last time, Alaysia shouldered her pack. Amidst triumphant roars, the party set off across the plains, the villagers remaining assembled until they had disappeared on the horizon. As she left the village, surrounded by her escort, Alaysia felt a shiver of excitement pass through her. Never before had she traveled so far away from home and the thought of what lay ahead thrilled her. The only cloud that came to dampen her spirits was her regret that Argoth had not been there to bid her farewell. Their fight the previous night troubled her, but she still would have liked to embrace him one last time before leaving.

The first three days of the journey were uneventful. The party would hike across the Razor Fields all day, set up camp when night fell, and resume their trek the following morning. However, on the fourth morning, one of the Leonin guards noticed some of their rations were missing. He didn't think much of it, assuming somebody had gotten hungry during the night and helped themselves to some extra, or that it had been some wild animal during the night, but it happened again the following day, and after inspecting the area near the camp, they found a large patch of flattened grass, indicating something had slept there. Whatever it was, they were now sure of one thing: it was following them. They said nothing about their discovery to Alaysia, so as not to frighten her, but they remained vigilant and kept a close eye on their ration bags. With the increased surveillance, the ration thefts ceased, but the possibility of being stalked still remained.

* * *

A week after their departure there was no indication of how close they were to their destination. The first few days had been difficult for Alaysia. She was not used to traveling long distances, and had been unable to sleep for the first night, due to how sore she was. The limited food was also a problem for her. The Leonin guards had been trained to survive on little, but Alaysia had a hearty appetite and the lack of food left her always hungry. She found herself looking forwards to their ration breaks, whereupon she would gobble down her share eagerly, even though it did not satisfy her hunger. However, after a week of this regime, she discovered her body had begun to get used to the long walks. She now experienced no trouble in keeping up with the Leonin guards and slept as soundly on the ground as she would have in her own bed. The lack of food still bothered her, and the first thing she planned on doing when they reached a settlement was to sit down to an enormous feast. Little did she know how soon this opportunity would present itself.

It was midday and the suns beat down on the party from above. They had settled down for a break, but Alaysia was restless. Something felt wrong. As they sat there, chewing down their meager rations, it happened. With a thunderous crash, a gigantic metal beast charged out of the razorgrass and towards the group. The Leonin barely had time to scatter before the creature trampled through, crushing their supplies beneath its feet.

Alaysia was separated from the guards in the confusion. Her first instinct was to run. The other Leonin were trained in combat and could defend themselves against the creature, while she wouldn't stand a chance against it. As she ran, Alaysia could hear the cries of pain of the guards, and she found she could not ignore their plight and turned back. She was frozen in horror by what she saw; one of the Leonin lay on the ground, agonizing in a pool of blood. The three remaining Leonin were locked in battle with the creature. One of them managed to spring up onto the creature's back and drove his sword deep into its neck. The monster roared in pain and grabbed the Leonin with a clawed hand, tossing it aside. The Leonin fell to the ground with a sickening thud and did not move. The creature was only further angered by its wound and charged at the two remaining guards. They fought bravely, but soon met their end in the claws of the creature.

Having dispatched its prey, the creature looked around to ensure no predators were lying in wait, ready to steal its kill. It noticed Alaysia, who was still in shock, and reared up, gave a triumphant roar, and charged the Leonin. Alaysia was rooted to the spot and could only helplessly watch as the creature approached at an alarming speed. Closing her eyes, she awaited her death, praying it would be quick and painless. Her last thoughts went to Argoth; how she wished she could have seen him one last time.

The resounding clash of metal-on-metal rang out through the air. Alaysia braced herself for the pain, but there was none. Curious, she opened her eyes and gasped at the sight before her; Argoth was standing over her, his metallic arm blocking the creature's strike.

"Run!" he panted, as the creature, momentarily stunned by his sudden appearance, growled and pushed back against him.

Alaysia couldn't leave him. He would not last long against the monster. The now-dead Leonin had been among the village's best soldiers, and even they had been no match for the creature. Argoth didn't stand a chance. As much as she feared her power, she knew that the only way to save her brother was to use it. She remembered the wound on the creature's back; this was its weak point. If she could attack the wound, she might be able to kill the monster.

She racked her mind, thinking of something powerful enough to take it down, and recalled an artifact she'd seen a Leonin use in a battle against the Nim. She didn't know if it would be enough, but it was her only option. She pictured the small orb in her mind, trying to imagine it in every detail. It was a deep red with a netting of lines running over its surface. On the top of the orb was a golden sun with an inscription on it. It read, "Melt that which was never frozen." As she pictured the artifact, she could feel the rush of power through her body and knew she had succeeded. A small glow appeared in her paw, pulsating to the beat of her heart. In grew brighter and larger until it was about the size of her fist. The glow faded, leaving the orb in her paw.

Alaysia felt slightly winded from her efforts, but knew it wasn't over; she still needed to get the artifact into the creature's wound. She would need to call upon a creature to deliver it there. It would have to be small and agile, in order to avoid the creature's claws. As she tried to think of a suitable creature, she felt the strange sensation coursing through her once again and another orb appeared beside her. It sprouted spindly legs and arms, the creature quickly taking shape.

It was short, approximately the height of a young cub. Its thin arms ended in small claw and it titled its triangular head at Alaysia, making a series on incomprehensible clicks. Somehow, Alaysia knew it was there to help. She handed the orb to the creature, which seemed to understand her intentions. It skittered behind the monster and leapt onto its back. It quickly reached the gaping wound and shoved the artifact into the monster's metallic innards. Giving a series of rapid, high-pitched clicks, almost like laughter, the creature pressed the sun on the sphere. The inscriptions on the artifact began glowing red.

The monster backed away from Argoth, clawing madly at its back and roaring in pain from the intense heat generated by the orb. Alaysia barely had time to grab Argoth's paw and drag him away before an explosion engulfed the monster. Argoth and Alaysia were thrown to the ground from the shockwave, and when the smoke cleared, the charred carcass of the monster was all that remained. The siblings gazed about, still slightly dazed from the explosion and embraced each other.

"What are you doing here?" asked Alaysia, still shocked her brother was here.

"I could not abide by the council's decision; I had to accompany you," said Argoth.

"The elders will be furious you went against their will!"

"I will accept whatever punishment they impose," said Argoth, wincing in pain as he fell to his knees.

"Argoth! Are you hurt?" asked Alaysia, kneeling beside her brother

"It is nothing," said Argoth, clutching his metallic arm. There were deep gashes caused by the creature's claws and a dark, viscous liquid was dripping from the wounds.

"We must get you help!" said Alaysia.

"There is a village nearby," grunted Argoth.

Grabbing her pack, which had escaped destruction during the fight, Alaysia pulled out her blanket and tore it into strips, fashioning a makeshift bandage for Argoth. Helping him up, she draped his good arm over her shoulder, letting him lean on her. The two Leonin set out for the village, their progress severely hindered by Argoth's wound. After what seemed like an eternity, the village appeared in the horizon. This sight gave them hope and they accelerated their pace, the thatched roofs steadily growing closer.

As they approached the front gates, they saw to armed guard keeping watch. The men watched curiously as the two Leonin approached.

"What is your business here?" one of them asked as Alaysia half-dragged Argoth towards them.

"My brother is hurt!" said Alaysia. "We need a healer!"

"Head for the artificer's," said one of the men, after examining Argoth's wounds. He pointed into the village. "Look for the black and red ensign."

Following the guard's advice, the two Leonin stumbled through the street and soon came upon a hut with a back and red checkered sign. Over the colors was a familiar sight: the triangular head of the creature Alaysia had summoned. The two practically fell through the door and into the hut. The room was full of scrap metal and half-destroyed artifacts. On one side of the room was a small forge with an anvil in front of it.

"Hello?" yelled Alaysia. "My brother is injured and we need your help!"

A door on the side of the room opened and a man stepped out. He was fairly short, just a bit taller than Alaysia. He wore white pants with a black collared shirt.

"Hello there," he said in a jovial tone. "I am Arcus Acer. How may I help you?"

To be continued…

Author's note: Arcus Acer used with permission of his creator.


	23. The icicle appears

Disclaimer: Magic: The Gathering is copyright Wizards of the Coast. All original characters belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 23-The icicle appears**

_Like a house of cards, it all comes tumbling down. With the tension among the Keepers running high and no sign of things cooling down, the situation looks grim. Unless the black Keeper can work thing out with the blue Keeper, war is inevitable._

* * *

_Finally, after trying for so long, the situation has turned in my favor. I knew the Keeper's nature would eventually resurface. In the end, his union with the red Keeper will have begun their undoing. As for the other, he has finally obtained some results._

* * *

Night was falling on the plains of Otaria as the Keepers of Mana continued towards their destination. They had been walking all day without encountering anything that might aid them in their search. Mira's young legs had not been able to withstand the long march and Eva had taken to carrying her for the past few hours. The girl was now asleep, her head resting on Eva's shoulders, bobbing lightly from the Keeper's steps.

As they advanced, Khell spotted a small cluster of trees in the distance. Diverting their course towards it, he advised the other Keepers that they should get some rest and this would be a good spot to set up camp. This decision received no objections from the others. They were all rather tired from the long day's walk and were eager to get some sleep.

They settled under a large, deciduous tree. The ground was covered in leaves and mosses, creating a somewhat comfortable mattress. They began unpacking the necessities for the night as well as a few rations. After rolling out her bedspread, Eva draped her blanket over Mira, the girl cuddling her mongoose as she slept.

As Khell unpacked the food, Charles walked around the campsite, muttering to himself and occasionally, a flash of mana appeared in the air before him, briefly illuminating him before vanishing. After he had finished his task, he returned to the group.

"What was that all about?" asked Arrathir.

"You seem to have forgotten we're still being hunted," said Charles "Seeing as I appear to be the most reasonable member of our rag-tag band, I took it upon myself to camouflage our presence with some illusions to make it appear as if there is nothing where we currently stand."

"Well, let's eat!" Khell quickly said, hoping to change the topic before a full-out brawl erupted between the two Keepers.

After downing their rations, the Keepers took to their bedding, Charles assuring them he'd rigged the illusions to warn them if anyone got to close to the campsite. Eva lay down beside Mira. The girl was tossing and turning, whimpering in her sleep. Eva suspected she must be reliving the events of the day in her nightmares. The mongoose was gone, frightened away by the girl's movements. Eva cradled the girl in her arms and Mira clung to the Keeper, seeming to calm down a bit from having someone with her.

Strange new emotions were welling up inside Eva. She had never considered the possibility of having a child. Oh sure, the thought crossed her mind once in a while, but she had never seriously envisioned it. For her, children were something that may happen in the distant future, but now that she actually had someone to care for and who needed her, she felt a great deal of affection for the girl she'd met that very morning. She reasoned these feelings were being brought about by her motherly instincts. After all, she was more or less the girl's surrogate mother, at least until they found her uncle, but a part of her hoped they never did. This way, Mira could stay with her. The girl needed a mother, so why not her? The girl had taken to Eva and she knew Mira would be heartbroken if Eva left her. Of course, she knew Arrathir would never agree to bring Mira along with them and as well, bringing her along would expose her to many dangers.

As she pondered, Eva felt an arm slip around her waist and a hot breath on her ear.

"Hey there, beautiful," Arrathir purred, cuddling up to Eva.

"Arrathir…what are you doing?" asked Eva as the Keeper's hand ventured further down her body.

"Well, you're the one who said you'd need daily 'special attention.' I'm just fulfilling my duties as your mate," smirked Arrathir.

"Mira's right here!" hissed Eva.

"So? Just leave her and we'll go off for a bit. She'll be fine."

"She's having a nightmare. I can't just leave her," said Eva.

"Come on…" said Arrathir, stroking Eva's flank.

"Hey! Cut it out!" snapped Eva "Mira needs me."

_Did…did I just get cockblocked by a kid?_

**_She must just be playing hard to get. Try harder._**

Undaunted by Eva's apparent lack of interest, Arrathir began nibbling on the red Keeper's neck in hopes of enticing her.

"I said stop it!" snarled Eva, pulling away from Arrathir.

"What is your problem?" hissed Arrathir "Yesterday, you couldn't wait to jump my bones!"

"Men!" yelled Eva "You give them one night and they turn into horn dogs!"

"Horn dog? You were the one begging for it last night!"

At that moment, Mira stirred, whimpering gently and opened her eyes. Both Keepers froze as the girl looked about in confusion, obviously disoriented by her new surroundings.

"Eva, where are we?" she asked.

"You've been asleep for a long time, honey," said Eva, cradling the girl. "We set up camp for the night. Are you hungry?"

"Yes," said Mira, rubbing her eyes and yawning widely.

"OK, let's get you something to eat," said Eva, standing up and scooping up the girl in her arms. Shooting Arrathir one more of her famous death glares, she headed towards the food packs. Grumbling, the Keeper stomped away. Taking out a few strips of dry meat, Eva sat down and gave the food to Mira, who eagerly gobbled it down. As she ate, Eva lovingly stroked her hair. Her hunger satiated, the girl snuggled up to Eva, shivering. Calling on her mana, Eva conjured a small flame on the ground in front of them. Since the fire was magical and its only source of fuel was Eva's mana, she would have to continually feed it mana, a process which would soon wear her out, but Eva knew she could keep the fire going long enough to keep Mira warm until she fell asleep again.

"More conjugal problems?" asked Charles, sitting down beside Eva.

"Was it that obvious?" sighed Eva.

"I hate to say, 'I told you so,' but…"

"Would you drop it already?" growled Eva. "Sure, Arrathir and I have a few issues we need to resolve, but what couple doesn't?"

"I really don't see his problem," shrugged Charles.

"You don't mind Mira?"

"Why should I? She's a cute kid," said Charles, ruffling the girl's hair. "Khellendros has more or less taken to her, and like it or not, she's with us now, so I really don't see why Quinn can't just accept it and stop bitching about it."

"I guess that last fight was because I didn't want to…sleep with him," said Eva. "I'm still kind of confused about that. For some reason, I just didn't feel like it."

"Ah, I think I see what's going on," said Charles "He's jealous; he sees the child as competition for your affection."

"I guess, but why don't I feel any desire to mate with him? I mean, I _am_ in heat."

"My guess is that, now that you 'have' a child, your body simply no longer produces the hormones that cause your heat," said Charles. "As well, your motherly instincts probably cause you to prioritize the care of your child. Your body has accepted Mira as a surrogate daughter."

Eva pondered this for a while, absent-mindedly stroking Mira's hair.

"I suppose that makes sense," she finally said. "I just wish Arrathir would understand this. Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on him."

"You weren't; he's the one who was out of line. He's letting his jealousy affect his behavior. If I were you, I'd stay close to Mira at all times."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! Arrathir wouldn't hurt Mira."

"Maybe not the Arrathir you knew," said Charles "However, you've noticed how he's changed."

"Yes, somewhat," said Eva.

"He is being corrupted by his _g'imu_, Eva. Eventually, he will become completely consumed by it, and the man you love will be gone."

"I refuse to believe that," said Eva, shaking her head. "Arrathir may be a _ghell_, but that does not make him evil."

"Eva, he killed you in your past life."

Before Eva could retort, a piercing shriek rang out through the air and a wall of flames sprung up around the campsite.

"Proximity alarm!" hissed Charles, jumping to his feet. "Something's broken through the perimeter sensors."

"The fire is just an illusion, right?" asked Eva, standing as well.

"Yes, it should hold them off for a bit, but if they were able to get past my other enchantments, they'll see through this subterfuge."

"Eva, what's going on?" cried Mira, who was awake and clinging to the Keeper's robes.

"Listen, Mira," said Eva, kneeling beside the girl and wrapping her blanket around Mira. "You stay under the blanket and don't come out until I say so, all right?"

"I'm scared."

"I know, honey," said Eva, hugging her. "It's going to be OK. Just do as I said."

Nodding, Mira curled up on the ground and covered herself with the blanket.

"I'm detecting about twenty creatures behind the barrier," said Charles.

"What should I summon?" asked Eva, her hands bursting into flames.

"There are too many," said Charles "You'll wear yourself out. We need to stall them until Khell gets here."

"Where is he?"

"He went to scout the area," said Charles.

"Leave it to me," said Eva. Closing her eyes, she visualized her swords, picturing the sharp blades and the shine of the polished metal. The mana in her hands began shaping into the swords, elongating and flattening into the twin blades. The mana remaining in her hands swelled into the hilts. As the mana solidified, Eva felt the familiar weight in her hands. Opening her eyes, she swung the blades, getting a feel for them.

"Drop the barriers, Charles," she said, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her body, electrifying her senses. The anticipation of battle overtook her and she grinned, showing off her fangs. She did not want to scare Mira, but she was enraptured, wanting to protect the girl at any cost.

The blue Keeper dispelled the illusion and the two Keepers saw their foes: It was a veritable army. Creatures of all types charged at them, running, slithering and flying towards the two Keepers at an alarming rate.

"Charles…" said Eva, seeing what they were up against.

"I'll cover you," said Charles, his hands bursting into mana. The mana formed into a humanoid figure, clad in white armor and wielding twin short swords. The creature kept aloft by dancing on the wind, stabilizing itself via two small wings encompassing a joyful face. Small wisps of white clouds trailed behind the creature, which every so often would pull him in, taking him back to the wind from whence it came. A group of the beasts took on the creature, biting, scratching and throwing balls of tamed mana at him. The small phalanx assaulting the harlequin rejoiced, until one was splintered by a white forming blade, the beast seemingly fighting to keep his corporeal form.

"My turn," said Eva, mana flaring from her hands as a Wall of Fire flared up between the Keepers and the creatures. As Eva channeled mana into the wall, the flames intensified, the heat radiating from them reaching the Keepers. Overtaken by their momentum, a few of the creatures could not stop in time and ran into the flames, perishing in the blazing inferno. The luckier creatures were able to stop in time, but before they could recover from their surprise, Eva burst out of the flames, her blades enveloped in mana and began wreaking havoc among the ranks of the creatures.

* * *

Meanwhile, Arrathir had been taking out his frustrations on a large tree, whose trunk was presently covered in deep gouges from the Keeper's claws. Cursing under his breath, he slashed at the tree again, leaving fresh gashes. The physical effort somewhat calmed him down, but his anger towards his mate remained.

_Who does she think she is? Turning _me_ down for that damn kid! I knew bringing her meant nothing but trouble!_

**_It seems to me you need to show her who's boss._**

_How do you suggest I do that?_

**_Go back there and take what is rightfully yours._**

_I-I can't take Eva against her will._

**_If you don't assert your dominance over her, she'll just keep doing as she pleases. With the child around, who knows the next time you'll be able to mate with her?_**

_I don't care; I'm not raping her._

**_She is not fulfilling her obligations as your mate!_**

"ENOUGH!" roared Arrathir, slamming his fist into the tree. Pain shot up his arm as every bone in his hand shattered. Grimacing in pain, the Black Keeper clutched his mangled hand while holding back a slew of profanities. The pain slowly began replacing his anger as he sat down to catch his breath.

"Great," he muttered, taking a look at his injured hand: his fingers were bent at awkward angles, bones poking out from under the skin, and blood seeped from his knuckles. "Khell's going to kill me. Maybe I should get him to teach me some healing spells."

**_You can't cast _shal_ spells._**

_Why not? I'm a Keeper of Mana, so shouldn't I be able to cast pretty much any spell?_

**_Your _g'imu_ is opposed to green mana. Because of the clashing personalities between the two mana types, you cannot tap into the power of the forests. Your main strength lies in the swamps, so you _can_ potentially cast any black spell. However, since your _g'imu_ is allied with _shi _and _ioqi_ mana, you have a limited access to those _****_colours' spells._**

_That explains how I was able to cast Terminate on that Vampiric Dragon_

**_Exact…something's coming!_**

Arrathir clamped his hands over his ears as a piercing shriek tore through the night air.

_The fuck is that?_

**_The blue Keeper's proximity spells must have detected something._**

_What if it is just some animal?_

**_Impossible; knowing him, he set them to only detect threats to us._**

A red glow appeared in the distance as flames danced in the night sky.

_Eva!_

Before Arrathir could start running to the aid of the other Keepers, explosions burst out all around him. Dazed and blinded by the smoke, the Keeper of Black Mana stumbled back, trying to get his bearings. As the smoke cleared, he found himself surrounded by a dozen ninjas. They were all clad in the same navy-blue outfit and wielded a variety of short swords and daggers. With a silent command from their leader, a volley of shuriken flew at Arrathir.

The Keeper merely smirked as the deadly storm of projectiles approached. "Here I was thinking this was going to be a lousy night," he laughed, leaping high into the air to avoid the attack. He landed on the shoulders of one of the ninjas and propelled himself away from the deadly circle. The unfortunate warrior crumbled under the Keeper's weight, his spine no doubt broken. Momentarily stunned by his move, the ninjas quickly recovered and resumed their assault.

"This should be fun," said Arrathir, thrusting his hands out in front of him.

A black aura flared up around him as mana gathered between his hands, shaping into a short shaft. One end of the shaft flattened out and curved into a blade. The other end oozed out a long strand of mana, at the end of which was a small ball of mana. The ball elongated into a small shaft and solidified into an iron weight embossed with the Keeper of Black Mana's seal: a lozenge whose two upper branches extended to form a 'v' above the lozenge. A single line extended from the bottom of the rhombus and it also contained a dot in the middle of it, like an eye staring out from the metal. The strand linking the two pieces of the weapon knitted itself into a chain. The mana composing the handle solidified, as did the blade. When Kiminokatsu was fully summoned, Arrathir grabbed the sickle in one hand while the other picked up the weight and began spinning it above his head, eyeing the approaching shinobi.

* * *

Eva's katana and wakizashi hummed through the air in a deadly dance as she carved her way through the horde of monsters. Nimbly dodging a creature's claws, she decapitated it with a quick slash, the creature disappearing in a puff of mana as the Keeper turned around, sinking both her blades into the chest of a Moonbow Illusionist. A sort of euphoria was taking her over, fueling her bloodlust. Gathering a bit of mana, she shot a Lightning Bolt into the chest of an attacking goblin, the creature vanishing with a popping sound and a flash of red mana.

Meanwhile, Charles' creatures were phasing in and out of existence, striking at their victims and disappearing before they could retaliate, only to reappear somewhere else a few seconds later. These hit-and-run attacks were wreaking havoc among the enemy's ranks. As Charles commanded his creatures, he expanded his mind's eye as far as he could; trying to find the origin of their attackers.

;These creatures are all summons. Whoever is controlling them must possess a tremendous quantity of mana in order to invoke and control so many creatures at the same time. So much mana should be easy to detect…wait! I've got him!;

**;His**** mana…it…it is colossal;**

Suddenly, Charles felt a tremendous pain as every cell in his body cried out in anguish. It was as if his spirit was being torn from his body and shaken down. Charles struggled to regain control of his spirit and re-integrate his physical form, but whatever force was doing this to him was too powerful to overcome.

With a sudden jerk, the feeling stopped as abruptly as it had begun. Looking around, Charles found he was no longer near the battle, but was now standing knee-deep in mist-covered water. The sky above was covered with dark clouds and an occasional flash of lightning appeared on the horizon, followed by the distant rumble of thunder.

;Where are we?;

"So nice to finally meet you, Keeper," said a voice.

"Show yourself!" demanded Charles.

A presence behind him alerted Charles that his interlocutor was approaching. Turning, he saw a tall woman standing there. Her face was painted white in the style of kabuki actors. Her long, black hair was threaded through a headdress, creating two horns on either side of her head. The two resulting ponytails fell on her shoulders and were knotted a foot from the ends. She wore a hooded white dress which flared out at her ankles, the hood of which was down. Over this was a blue, short-sleeved tailcoat with purple trim and whose tails ended in two tassels. In one hand, she held a golden pot which emitted a grey smoke that curled around her body and formed into a dragon's head.

"Greetings," said the woman. "I have been waiting for you."

"Who are you?" asked Charles.

The woman glided towards him, the water showing no sign of a ripple, as if it was merely parting ways for her, a face like an ivory mask, motionless, only the dragon smiled.

"For someone who is supposed to be my superior, you have a lot to learn." The words did not sound, but they were being said to Charles. His mind was in turmoil; he sensed a male, but here was a female before him.

Charles could not subside Chiburuu, it was not of anger, or any emotion; the _g'imu_ wanted to retort on logic alone. "For you to be a subordinate, you must use blue mana. Stop your tomfoolery of a woman's guise and show your form, male."

The face kept motionless, but the dragon smirked, "My tomfoolery, as you put it, must be better than your dull senses when joined with this uncertain spirit. I am in my true form, but my mana is masculine."

Chiburuu was misguided for a moment, he noticed Charles' face turning in pain, but his spirit did nothing.

"That's right," The woman seeming to answer to his thought. "The body is still fighting."

Charles was stunned at this fact, but kept his head, the long logical debates with Chiburuu coming ahead to keep his cool. "Why have you brought us here?"

The dragon kept its smirk. "I have already told you. My superior has a lot to learn."

With that, the dragon uncoiled from the woman, lunging at the conjoined spirits. Both of them had enough time to react, pulling their hands in from of them to block a glancing blow, as they sidestepped. The gash, though not in flesh, sent a course of pain through them. Charles winced, but Chiburuu kept his logical stance.

"If you have come to destroy us, then do so. Your power is so immense, I see little bother us trying to fight it." The Keeper said with a calm voice.

Charles was ready to go into hysterics; he had not given much thought of death, and dying as a spirit whilst his self-animated body continued on was not one of them.

* * *

Khell's scouting, although studious and accurate, was the subject of sheer bad luck. The army had come in several waves, and he had only come around to scouting where they were coming from. Several tears in the sheer fabric of the plane were allowing a plethora of various beasts through. The forest was his homestead, and, transforming into a wurm, he dove underground. His first thought was of the girl, of all he knew that she was the least able to care for herself in this situation. His wurm brain simplifying this to a sheer, "protect the old and young first."

The underground route was not fast, but it surely was the safest, bypassing the oncoming horde, and his jagged teeth making easy work of the soil, with its root veins. At a sudden jolt, the word 'bypass' left all meaning in his route. The Keeper stopped, rearing up, a crush of his species' brethren blocking his path.

Although Khell was a wurm, he was a Keeper embodied as a wurm; the Keeper quickly calling on his forest mana, enlarging himself to several times the size of the three wurms. These were clearly not of a summoned form; the three perceived the danger in keeping the conflict and fled. By this time, a multitude of mongrels had begun to beleaguer one of them. They, along with Khell, took to their known route of underground, the mongrels scattering as their soft flesh impacted with, what was to them, hard ground, Khell continuing his momentum to reach Mira.

* * *

Arrathir yanked the chain of his kusari-gama violently, pulling down the unfortunate ninja who'd just gotten entangled by it. Rushing forward, the Keeper pulled him back up, slitting the dazed ninja's throat with his sickle. The man's face contorted into an expression of shock for a brief second before he exploded in a puff of mana. The Keeper didn't have time to rejoice over his kill; three more ninjas dashed at him, hoping to avenge their fallen comrade.

_Don't these guys ever give up?_

**_They're summons; they know no fear and blindly obey the orders of their summoner._**

The three ninjas suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Before Arrathir could react, pain exploded in his eyeballs. The Keeper reeled, clutching his watering eyes. More pain wracked his body as he felt the bite of a sword on his left shoulder. Roaring in anger, he ran blindly forward, swinging his sickle wildly.

_Blinding Powder…clever bastards…Well, if I can't see, let's even the playing field._

Grabbing the weighted end of his weapon, he crossed it with his sickle. The Keeper's seal glowed eerily and a black cloud seeped from the weapon, enveloping the area with a deep darkness that left the ninjas completely disoriented. Prying his burning eyes open, the Keeper saw a ninja run past him and realized that while they could not see him, he had no trouble spotting them, however, the pain was too great and he closed his eyes once again. Ears pricked, he took a deep inhalation, getting a sense of where his opponents were, based on their scent and heavy breathing.

_How ironic; the hunters have become the hunted. Well, let the chase begin._

* * *

The spreading inferno swirled, easing itself into the wind above the wooded area. The red rage had almost entirely taken over Eva as she sliced into foe upon foe. She would be stepping on a mountain of dead bodies now, if it weren't for the fact the creatures were disintegrating back into discharged mana. Her teeth now clearly bared, the tips swirling with red mana, the two blades not sufficient for this blood, mana bath of combat.

As had been done countless times before, her blade bore down upon a beast, but instead of it slicing through the beast like hot butter, it instead rang with vibrating flames. Turning ever so slightly and jumping above the wheeled beast, she could now understand the trickery: the beast was made of wood. Still in mid descent, Eva brought around her two blades, striking one off the other. An intense blast of heat ruptured forth, the waves appearing before the spark of any flame. The accurate shot not only encompassed the juggernaut, but twelve helpless beasts surrounding it.

"You can't survive that…" slid out of her smiling face as her furrowed brow couldn't relent the anger.

Two ribs cracked, as she was prevented from her perfect landing, and ground replaced by a mammothian tusk that had impacted on her right flank. As her feet drew up, and pushed on the beast's muzzle, she saw a small sigil between the beast's eyes burn with an intense heat; seeming to draw her flame from all over the beast and solely to it.

(This could be trouble…)

* * *

Khell could smell the girl now. Slowing down, he ascended through the dirt, just far enough so he did not bury her. Once the bulk of the body was out, Khell changed back, merely jumping out of the tunnel as a human. Landing with sure feet, Khell drew himself close to the girl, before turning and kneeling. A low grunt seemed to rumble from his throat. Mira, in fright went to pull back the blanket, before holding back, Eva's words burnt into her ears. She took a slight peek beneath a fold, just glancing the lower part of what was clearly Khell's arm. The grunt now was a crescendo, the earth responding in chorus. Before she knew it, a large entanglement of roots had erupted from the tunnel, and encasing Khell and Mira in a lattice of plantwork.

Mira drew back, frightened at this spectacle of natural life, and was startled as the blanket lifted off her despite her reaction to cling on. The newly created room filled with a low green light, the plants themselves lighting the way.

"These plants have gracefully heard my call, the tunnel goes directly down. The plants can go deeper than wurms, and we'll be safe there. Follow me." Khell said in a stern, and somewhat fatherly voice, reaching out his broad hand.

Mira remembered what Eva had said, but knew that Eva trusted Khell, and so did she. Her little hand was enveloped by the Keeper's, and they took quickly to descending a flowing, growing, moving spiral staircase downward.

* * *

The dragon lunged once more, but Chiburuu knew his new host far too well. His mind held an array of memories when Charles was not logical, and this was such a time.

"No!" Charles screamed, shooting a boomerang at the dragon, the creature merely deflecting it off itself. Charles not only moved himself, but Chiburuu too, flinging them out of the way of the dragon's teeth, ending on what could be called air, if this was the real world.

No longer had the teeth clamped shut that they flung open again, snapping with alarming speed at the spirits. Chiburuu, having a moment to dwell upon his memories now that they had come to the forefront, held on a hazy image. He knew what this was, he had always known, but why didn't he realize it. Charles, now frantically avoiding the dragon, stopped. The hazy image that Chiburuu saw, he saw clearly, for he had far fewer memories to trawl through.

Charles brought his right arm forward, straightening it, as if it were pointing at the woman that seemed to own this domain. Charles was distracted, a wrong time to be distracted, before Chiburuu could pull his leg, still leaving the thought of this hazy image from his mind, the dragon tore into what would be their leg. Charles screamed, an echoing voice, a strong voice. As if it were his entire focus, the words formed from his mouth, coming into conclusion at a bow. Its length of a longbow, but not a longbow, Charles' interpretation of this memory was a modern one; forming in its length to have a pulley at each end, and several ephemeral strings.

The strings pulled back on their own, meeting with Charles' left hand. He pointed the azure weapon down at the dragon's head. Point blank range, with all the emotional effort of Charles' pain, and mental effort of Chiburuu's cold and calculating conclusions, an icicle of an arrow formed, sharper than any diamond, straighter than any ruler, it was released into the top of the dragon's skull.

For the first time, the woman's face broke its mask-like appearance and showed a slight wrinkling of skin that could only denote pain. As quickly as the Keeper was drawn from his body, he was now back in it, mid-fight, and no sign of the bloodied mass that should've been his leg. Stunned by his sudden return to the physical realm, the Keeper looked about as his mind struggled to re-gain control of his limbs.

As soon as the entire shock had worked its way through his body of his soul being returned to its rightful place, a sense of normality returned, Charles immediately noticed the blaze of red mana. Not its ferocity; there were two many mana signatures for that, but how it was dwindling at the face of colorless, and a hint of white mana; Chiburuu's mana sense much more tuned than the other Keepers.

With a sense of purpose, a sense of worry, and most of all a sense of wonder, Charles threw his hands down, and teleported himself close to Eva. Indeed, closer to Eva, but still a few yards from her; closer than he was. His sense of teleportation wasn't perfect, and neither were his eyes as he focused upon Eva, the world materializing in front of him; in his perception, it was in fact his eyes materializing in the real world. He ran forth. He had appeared ahead of the wave of beasts, and as he drew near, it crystallized in front of his eyes: a piercing wound in Eva's ribs, and the slow, definite, unnatural movement of a tusked behemoth moving towards her. He paused. As he always did he panicked, and he realized it.

;No, no not now, pull yourself together, you have your weapon, the bow, yes the bow;

Throwing his right arm out, as he had done but once before, he went to draw the bow. Yet, something was missing. Charles willed the bow to materialize, wanted it, needed it now, but his hand remained empty. He ran many thoughts, trying to will it to be.

;Is this a bow I see before me?;

Eva was sure to die, the wheel was broad, and her body was narrow. She couldn't be speared lying on the floor, but she certainly could be crushed.

;She's going to die, to die. I can't stop it; I can't do it. I'll never be able to do it. That's why Quinn got her: because he could. Oh God where is he now? He always comes at times like this;

**;You**** feel this much for her? Fine. Your broken bones and my escaping spirit will pause this mere summon long enough for her to get to her feet. Please do it Charles. You are weak, as you yourself know. Let me find a new body; a better spirit to share. Millennia more are worth it than sticking it out with you;**

Charles' fear, had been turned into anger. Thoughts of being worthless, thoughts of far from being good enough for simple duty, the blue Keeper could not even teleport correctly. He was certain of his death, but he was certain it would be of the juggernauts as well.

"Over my dead body you shall not have her!" Charles roared, as best a roar his tame vocal chords could produce.

Running towards the juggernaut, his large legs giving a step near to a leap, he was soon in front of it. The wheel bearing down on him, sure to crush his bones as Eva's sword had not damaged it. Charles grew into a blue mist, his vision blurred, his anger seething and his fear of death overwhelming.

**;That's**** more like it my boy!;**

The bow had at once brought to bear, the juggernaut now punctured in over a hundred spots, the shards of ice spreading their chill, forcing the wooden and metal frame to a halt before shattering. The weightless bow was easy to maneuver, natural to maneuver, and Chiburuu took over. Starting at the mana signature closest to him, the creatures fell one-by-one. As Arrathir reached the immediate locale, it was clear that the army was subsiding. Charles had barely a moment to register Arrathir's presence before a lightning bolt, no; a hairline tear appeared across the sky, quickly followed by another. Passing through, seeming to form their dimensions first one dimensional, then two, then three, two figures, once clearly Tyr, and another... no the other. Charles took a stride back.

It was a feminine form, clad in armour, hair facing northwards, and a myriad of mirrors choicely placed at joints and folds in the figures body. That masculine mana signature told Charles that was certainly the one who had the power to rip his soul from his body, and return it again. As the beasts declined, not falling into discharged mana, but a shaft of colour returning to their summoner, as it swirled up to the armoured form. Arrathir was still enjoying fighting, and Chikuro would not let the fight end here. Without a moments thought, Arrathir leaped to attack this new form; Tyr was a friend, and the form was clearly the one that set the army to beseech them. The Planeswalkers were not faster than Arrathir, but Arrathir contorted his muscles and stopped mid-flight, still in a haze of black.

"EVA!" Arrathir yelled, registering but ultimately remaining arrogant of Charles' presence.

As Arrathir reached his beloved, the armoured woman paused, creating a box to entrap Tyr, but only for a moment. She raced, standing firm, battle hardened and not showing any sign of tiring, unlike Arrathir's quickly healing wounds, in front of the black keeper.

"Peace, Keeper," said the armoured figure. "Sometimes, the best trial is by fire, and the blue Keeper seems to have passed with ease."

"Don't believe a word she says, Arrathir!" said Tyr, breaking free of her feeble entrapment.

Arrathir looked straight into the armoured figure's eyes; a devil's stare, worse, a _ghell's_ stare. "Give me one reason while I shouldn't kill you now for hurting my mate," the words ending in a low growl, the last syllables passing through clenched fangs.

With the composure of a statue, the woman changed into the familiar form that Charles knew. "You wish to kill me?" laughed the figure. "Here I am."

The provocation worked all to well on Arrathir and he enjoyed the taunt, waiting for her to continue, Chikuro wanted to hear this being's last words.

"You are not my superior, but you have much to learn _ghell_, for the sake of all _ghells_." The draconic mist returned, turning to Tyr. "You have this round Tyr, but keep them here. Keep their blades dull and keep their minds untrained, for now. Ask Charles for my purpose. He knows; Chiburuu knows all too well."

Eyes glowing red, Arrathir charged the figure, his demonic aura enveloping him. The last of the beasts, now from the distance, vanished. The tears raced towards the noble woman, at last allowing the woman to step through before the two slits joined and vanished. Arrathir had but little time to lash at the figure, for her movements were far quicker than the Keeper had anticipated, his healing wounds preventing his full _tour de force_.

Arrathir lashed out at the ground below, his anger overflowing on the inanimate object. Charles fell to his knees dumbstruck and in spiritual shock; the weapon going as quickly as it had came. Eva lay bloodied, with only light breathing as any sign of life. If it were not for Khell being lifted, like an elevator, from his safe haven, Eva would have continued bleeding. Having noticed the distinct lack of mana signatures, he assumed it safe, at least for him and not Mira. Khell, having been removed from this, was the first to inquire, especially to Tyr, noticing his descent.

"What happened?" asked Khell, immediately getting to work on stemming Eva's bleeding, his healing arts not as adept as Erik, the poor Erik, but good enough for this task.

* * *

_So it begins…_

* * *

_So it begins…_

To be continued…

Author's note: A humungous thanks to Lu Chao who pretty much wrote the entire second half of this chapter and turned it into the kick-ass chapter I wanted it to be!


	24. Fixing the feline

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering, just my characters. Arcus Acer used with permission of his creator.

* * *

**Chapter 24-Fixing the feline**

Arcus Acer's day had begun ordinarily enough: the artificer had woken up before sunrise and gone out for his morning walk around the outskirts of the village, seeking out scraps of metal or damaged artifacts he could salvage. He found his rate of encountering interesting or useful artifacts seemed to be higher in the morning, though he wasn't quite sure why. Unfortunately, his search had been fruitless, and as the suns began climbing overhead, he had returned to the village. Unbeknownst to the artificer, today this clockwork routine would be perturbed by two unexpected visitors.

Aniron was a small village located in the immensity of the Razor Fields. However, it bordered a well-traveled road that led to Taj-Nar, and so, was able to thrive from the business the many travelers brought on their way to and from the Den. Arcus had taken up the role of local artificer upon his arrival in Aniron a few months ago. There had been none when he arrived, and seeing the flow of travelers passing through the village, he had decided opening a shop would prove most useful. This shop was located on the main street, his personal insignia (a Myr on a red and black checkerboard background) advertising his services. The Myr referenced his status of artificer; however the red and black background was merely an aesthetic choice.

Travelers would often bring him broken artifacts and Arcus would repair them in exchange for a few coins. He had acquired a well-known reputation as a skilled artificer and many people passing through the village would visit his shop for repairs. Through his business, Arcus made enough to live comfortably, and his repairs helped increase his knowledge of artifacts.

As he approached the gates, he waved to the two guards standing on either side of the entrance. Despite its small size, the village still required a law-keeping force to deal with the flow of travelers. Thanks to them, Aniron had a relatively low crime rate, the occasional drunken brawl being the only thing the guards really had to worry about. Arcus was fairly well-acquainted with the guards; being a small community, many of the inhabitants of the village knew each other.

Arcus stopped at the gate to exchange a few words with the guards. This was part of his routine, and the guards would often heckle him over his scrap-scavenging, but it was all in good fun.

"So, another fruitless search for Master Acer, eh?" laughed one of the guards, noting Arcus' empty pack.

"All the better for him; if he keeps filling his house with useless pieces of junk, it'll collapse from the weight of all the scrap inside!" said the other guard.

Arcus laughed along with them. The amount of broken artifacts and scraps he had amassed over the years and which now filled his home was a recurring joke in their banter. Bidding them a good day, he passed through the gates and walked up the main street to his shop.

Opening the door, he stepped inside, removing his mud-caked boots and stepped into his workshop. This was where he kept his most precious artifacts. The room was small and cramped, but Arcus spent as much time in there as possible. Across from the door was a workbench that ran the length of the room. It was covered in scrap metal and tools, with a small space cleared for work. A simple wooden stool sat under the bench, so as not to be in the way when not needed. The other two walls were covered with rows and rows of shelves from the floor to the ceiling. These were packed with many artifacts, some in a worse state of disrepair than others, as well as screws, bolts, springs and many other spare parts Arcus used in his repairs, each in their own jars. Despite the apparent clutter, Arcus had his own system of organization and could easily find anything he needed in the mess.

As the door opened, there was a metallic clatter as a small myr jumped off its shelf to greet its master. Arcus had built it from spare parts he'd salvaged back when he lived near the Mephidross swamps. After the fall of Memnarch, the myr had been in disarray. With their master gone, many of them had reverted to a feral state and roamed Mirrodin in packs. However, enthrallment was such an integral part of the race that some could easily be domesticated and used as servants. Arcus' myr helped him around the workshop, fetching tools or parts the artificer required.

"Hello there," said Arcus, giving the myr and affectionate pat on the head. The myr chirped in response. Even though it was a machine, Arcus had discovered it could sense his emotions and respond accordingly.

There was a large object covered with a cloth on the workbench. Arcus pulled it off to reveal his latest project: a heretofore unknown artifact he had discovered a few weeks ago during a thorough search of the area surrounding Aniron. It was conical in shape and its carapace was made of metal plates. Several of these had been removed to expose its mechanical innards. He had yet to discover how it worked, let alone what it was, but he had no doubt he would soon unlock the artifact's secrets.

Taking a seat, Arcus picked up a small screwdriver and was about to remove another plate from the artifact when he heard the front door open and a female voice call out, "Hello? My brother is injured and we need your help!"

Putting down his tool, Arcus left the workshop to find two leonin standing in his doorway. The female who had called out was supporting the other, a male, whose arm was bandaged.

"Hello there. I am Arcus Acer. How may I help you?" asked the artificer.

At that moment, the male leonin collapsed, the female's legs buckling under his weight, sending them both to the floor.

"What happened?" asked Arcus, helping the female up.

"We were attacked by a creature on the outskirts of the village."

"Let me have a look here…Oh my, this does not look good," said Arcus, peeling back the bandage around the leonin's arm; three deep gashes marred the metallic surface and a viscous black liquid seeped from the wounds.

"Can you help him?" asked the female.

Arcus was unsure. Despite all the inhabitants of Mirrodin possessing metallic body parts, due in part to the influence of the Mycosynth spores, Arcus had never worked on another sentient being. He assumed it would be possible for him to repair the arm; after all, it was just another broken machine to be mended. However, the black liquid was most likely the leonin's blood, converted by the arm. Judging by his unconscious state, Arcus estimated he must have lost a lot of blood. If he didn't act soon, he would die.

"Hand me that pouch on the bench," he told the female, mopping up as much of the mechanical blood as he could with a rag to get a better look at the damage. Taking a pair of pliers from the pouch, he cut through the metal between the wounds and pried the pieces back to get inside the arm; it was a mess. Broken cables and pipes filled the cavity, the pipes hemorrhaging the black liquid at an alarming rate. Every so often, Arcus had to wipe it away to see what he was doing.

He soon realized that there wasn't enough time. A repair like this would involve removing the damaged tubing sections and welding new ones in place, then all the broken cogs and springs would need to be replaced, and finally, the cables would need to be fused back together. It was just too much work for the time he estimated the leonin would last.

"I'll need your help," said Arcus. "Go into my workshop and get me a kinometric extrapolator."

"What does it look like?"

"Ask the myr when you get in there."

"Myr?"

"You'll see it. Go!" said Arcus. She obeyed.

Arcus took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. It had been a while since he had done this. His request for the tool was merely a diversion; he did not want the female to be frightened by what he was about to do. He didn't have much time; it wouldn't take long for the female to return with the tool and he could feel the leonin's life slipping away.

Reaching deep within, the artificer began visualizing the mechanical innards of the arm as they would have been prior to the injury. As he concentrated, he felt his power surfacing, filling him with knowledge. He channeled this power into the arm and watched as the ruptured wires took on a life of their own, the individual metal strands that composed them knitting back together. The damaged tubes inflated back to their original diameter and the broken ends extended, connecting with each other. The flow of blood ceased as the holes in the tubing sealed over, leaving no indication of the injury.

Once he was sure the leonin was out of harm's way, Arcus ceased his concentration, the power receding within him. There was still a lot of work to be done in order to restore the arm to full functionality, but the essential repairs were done.

Arcus felt winded. He'd made a point of trying not to resort to his ability when it came to artifact repair. His desire for knowledge was stronger than his aspiration for wealth, and using his ability for the latter would only hinder his study of artifacts. Nobody else in the village knew about his gift, and Arcus preferred it this way. He did not fully understand this power that had awakened within him; all he knew was that it allowed him to mend artifacts in a matter of seconds. While he suspected that if others learned of his skill, he would undoubtedly become the most sought-after artificer of Mirrodin, he was still unsure about the limit of his ability.

"I got the tool!" said the female leonin, bursting out of the workshop with the kinometric extrapolator in hand.

"Thank-you, but it won't be necessary," said Arcus. "The damage was not as severe as I had first estimated, so I was able to repair the major damage. There is still much to be done before he will be able to use his arm again, but rest assured your brother is no longer in peril."

* * *

The first thing Argoth saw when he awoke was a thatched roof overhead. Turning his head, he saw a human male sitting beside him, extracting a broken gear from the leonin's arm, which was resting on a small stool. Looking around, the leonin saw he was lying on a cot in the middle of a room cluttered with artifacts.

"W-Where am I?" mumbled Argoth.

"Ah, hello there! Glad to see you are awake," said the human. "My name is Arcus Acer. You are in my workshop. Your sister brought you here; you were in very bad shape, severely wounded and all, but I managed to repair your arm."

"Alaysia? Where is she?"

"Resting. It has been several hours since you arrived."

"What are you doing to my arm?" asked Argoth.

"I'm still repairing it. When you came in, you were bleeding severely, but I managed to patch you up. Right now, I'm just replacing broken parts, reconnecting cables and so on. When I'm done, I'll put a cover on the hole and you'll be good as new!"

"How long will it take?"

"To be honest, I don't really know. This is the first time I have even repaired another being," admitted Arcus.

"I am grateful for what you have done," said Argoth, as Arcus tightened a tiny screw into place. "However, my sister is expected at the Ancient Den. Could you please complete the repairs as quickly as possible so we can be on our way?"

"It will take the time it takes!" snapped Arcus. "I am sorry," he apologized "You see, I am very dedicated to my craft. I see machines as works of art and it would be a travesty to improperly repair your arm, as well as leaving you crippled if it were to break again due to a quick fix."

"No, I am at fault," said Argoth. "You saved my life and this is no way to repay you."

"I promise to do my best so as to get you back on your feet and on your way as soon as possible," said Arcus.

Argoth did not sleep much for the remainder of the night. Then again, sleeping when someone was tinkering with your arm was no easy task.

Over the next few days, the repairs on Argoth's arm progressed. Alaysia aided Arcus as much as she could. She was intrigued by his artifacts, the myr in particular. Arcus explained the myr had once been the eyes and ears of Memnarch, the guardian of Mirrodin. The artificer could sense something odd about the leonin. The feeling had started when they had first met, but try as he might, Arcus could not determine what it was about Alaysia that was different.

Finally, the day came when Arcus affixed a metal plate onto Argoth's arm, the final step in his repair of the leonin's limb. Sitting up, Argoth flexed his arm, carefully curling his fingers to test the repairs.

"How does it feel?" asked Arcus. "I took the liberty of changing the gear ratios so you should be able to move it more easily."

"It does feel different, but I like the added mobility. Thank-you."

"It was nothing."

"How can we ever repay you for what you've done?" said Alaysia.

"There is no need. We have both helped each other. Argoth is patched up and I have furthered my knowledge of artifacts. As far as I am concerned, we are even."

The two leonin tried to convince Arcus to accept something for what he had done for them, but the artificer refused. Finally, they agreed that the knowledge he had gained was worth more than anything they could offer him. After restocking their provisions, they bid Arcus farewell and left Aniron, heading down the dusty road that would eventually lead them to Taj-Nar, where the Kha awaited their arrival.

To be continued…

Author's note: Yes, I'm still alive. No, I haven't given up on this story…yet. Just kidding. I'd like to thank everyone who's been patiently waiting for this chapter. I know I haven't really been updating much and I thank you for understanding.


	25. Further exposition

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering, just my characters.

* * *

**Chapter 25-Further exposition, OR Yet another chapter in which the author neglects to advance the storyline, instead preferring to provide further exposition in the hopes of justifying the actions that will eventually be undertaken by some, if not all, of the character or characters, at an indeterminate point in the future of the story which will most likely take a while to get to and then only slightly matter as the character's actions could easily have been justified by a flashback of some sort explaining why they are acting in a certain way by providing a snapshot of a moment in the past that would provide character development, but rather that resorting to that the author decides to further confuse his audience and muddle the already intricate plot instead of just getting on with the damn story already!**

The sun beat down cruelly on the lone traveler as he advanced wearily down the dirt road. His tattered black cloak was a testament to his long journey; torn and sullied by the dust of the road. His hood was up, concealing his face, which did not help considering the heat. He was sweating profusely, but obstinately kept his hood up; he had his reasons.

Behind him, the peaks of the Mal-Tak Mountains were barely visible on the horizon. Even from this distance, they still seemed to loom over the landscape, dark and foreboding. Glancing back at them, he shivered and hastened his pace, eager to put as much distance between the mountains and himself as possible. On either side of the road the ground rose sharply into tall hills. Trees grew sparsely on their flanks, their roots spreading far underground, seeking rare nutrients in the rocky soil.

Peering up at the sun, the traveler saw it had reached its zenith. Sighing, he pressed on. It would do no good to still be on the road after darkness fell, and he had no idea how far the next village was. Coming over a rise, he was treated to a glorious sight: the hills flattened out into gently rolling plains, and beyond the planes lay a great body of water that stretched out as far as the eye could see; glittering like a sea of jewels. However, the traveler's gaze was drawn away from the shimmering sea to the tall spires of a city in the distance. He smiled for the first time in days; finally, a refuge.

* * *

Shamiral ("knowledge," in the tongue of the Olde Ones) was the last bastion of the Kalunian Alliance. Built by the Olde Ones long ago, it stood on the shores of the Bay of Kaldoon, serving as a base of operations for the Kalunian navy. The city itself sprawled along the coast, as if it was afraid to venture too far inland. Many legends spoke about how the Kalunians had come to live in the city. The generally accepted story was that the ancestors of the Kalunians had once co-existed with the Olde Ones in the city, and at some time the Olde Ones had left, leaving the city to the ancestors. However, not all shared this view: the cult of Loomis claimed they were direct descendants of the Olde Ones and that their city had been usurped by outsiders who had diluted their bloodline. They swore that one day they would re-take the city and rule as the Olde Ones did. The cult was viewed by the rest of the population as a bunch of lunatics, but the law still kept an eye on their activities. Some of the most influential members of the Council were suspected members, giving the cult much potential political and financial resources.

In the middle of the city stood the Great Library, a towering stone monument which contained the knowledge of the Olde Ones. Much of it was written in _ancia_, their language, and while scholars had been able to interpret and translate fragments of texts, the sheer amount of untapped knowledge was staggering. Most of the citizens of Shamiral had little interest in the knowledge of the Olde Ones, and the language barrier only further dissuaded them. Because of this few people visited the library, save a few scholars and the Keeper of Records.

The bookkeeper was currently precariously perched on a ladder, reaching for a scroll on a high shelf that was just out of his reach. He could almost grab it; his fingertips brushed against it. Just a little more and he would have it. As he leaned a bit further, his balance finally gave out and he fell, managing to grab onto the shelf, but the aged wood couldn't take his weight, sending him to the ground, an avalanche of books and scrolls tumbling down on him with a crash and a cloud of dust. Groaning in pain, he gazed up at the scroll; the crash had almost knocked it off the shelf and it was teetering on the edge, taunting him. As the Keeper of Records sat up, the damn thing finally made up its mind, adding insult to injury by falling squarely on his head. Grumbling, he picked it up and stood, walking out of the room; there would be time to clean the mess later.

* * *

The traveler advanced through the paved streets of Shamiral, glancing nervously around. The sentinels at the front gate had been easy enough to sneak by, distracted as they were with trying to control a peasant's herd of goats that had, for some inexplicable reason, become skittish and unruly in front of the gates. A most fortunate coincidence for him indeed; he was particularly weary of the law and would rather not have to answer a lot of snoopy questions. Of course, these questions could always be bypassed, for a price, but his purse was far too light to withstand such an assault.

Since entering the city, he had been taking great pains to avoid any patrols. Even now, he saw one approaching and ducked into a nearby alley, pulling his hood lower over his face and turning his back to the street. As the patrol passed, he decided it was getting too dangerous to be out and about in daylight. He resolved to find a hiding place and wait for the cover of darkness before resuming his travels.

Leaving the alley he made a beeline for the nearest building, a tall stone structure at the end of the plaza he was in. Climbing the many steps that led to the engraved doors, he mentally cursed the architects. Taking one last glance around to make sure no guards had seen him, he pushed the heavy wooden doors open and entered the building.

The cool interior was a welcome change from the heat outside. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he gazed around: he was in a long room with a vaulted ceiling. Tall bookshelves were lined up in font of him more shelves lined the four walls of the room. Two doors on either side of the room led to more shelf-lined rooms. The bookshelves were packed with old, dusty tomes, many of them bound in cracked leather, the printing on the spines rendered illegible from old age. Out of curiosity, the traveler grabbed a nearby scroll, but the yellow, aged parchment crumbled under his touch. Nervously looking around, he quickly swept the pieces aside with his foot.

Trying to look nonchalant he strolled through the aisles. A heavy silence blanketed the room, thicker than the dust piling on the crumbling volumes. The pungent smell of mildew filled his nostrils; the place was a tomb, knowledge's final resting place.

The traveler suddenly heard a noise behind him. He whirled around instinctively, his hands wreathed in black flames. As he turned, the flames licked at the yellowed scrolls on the shelf behind him, setting the dry paper ablaze.

"What have you done, you fool?" shouted the man who had approached him.

The fire spread quickly, the dry shelves providing ample fuel to feed the flames. The traveler sprung back from the heat of the blazing inferno, looking wildly about for an escape. Suddenly, vines sprouted from the shelves, the vegetation quickly overgrowing the fire. At first, the flames simply devoured the plants, but more and more came, thicker and bigger, until the flames were smothered under the greenery.

"You idiot!" said the Keeper of Records. He had heard the door open and had gone to greet the visitor. Seeing as how few people visited the library, he wanted to give the few visitors they received a warm reception, but not quite this warm.

"You have it as well," said the traveler, astounded by what had just happened.

"What do you mean?" asked the bookkeeper. The vines had receded into the woodwork and he was sifting through the ashes, trying to salvage what he could.

"The gift," said the traveler, extending his hand. The black flames reappeared, enveloping his hand. The fire shaped into a small, elongated lump, one end sprouting a small, tentacle-like appendage. The flames began glowing brighter and when the glow had faded, a large grey rat sat in the man's hand.

"So there _are_ more of us," said the bookkeeper.

"More?"

"The texts of the Olde Ones speak of beings capable of harnessing the energies of nature to invoke creatures that did their bidding. Ever since discovering my ability, I suspected there might be others."

The two men continued talking well into the evening, or more accurately, the bookkeeper did the talking. He talked at length about his studies of the Olde Writings while the traveler said little, merely nodding in agreement, keeping his hood over his face. The Keeper of Records though this odd but the excitement of having met another with the gift overpowered his curiosity about the visitor.

"Is there anywhere we could go for a drink?" the traveler asked, interrupting the bookkeeper's elaborate explanation of a passage he had been translating for the past month.

"There is a pub nearby," said the Keeper of Records, slightly disappointed at the traveler's lack of interest in his work. However, all the talking had made him quite thirsty; he could do with a pint or two.

Leaving the library, they headed down the darkening streets, soon arriving at the pub. The windows were brightly lit and the sounds of merriment came from inside. The door opened, flooding the street with light as four heavily inebriated men stumbled out, clutching to each other for support. They were laughing heartily and one still held a tankard in his hand. As they made their way down the street, one of them began singing and the others soon joined in. It was a jovial drinking song.

_Tabard was a mighty lord__  
His rule was just and true__  
Let's be merry, no need to worry  
Have a drink or two!_

_He was skilled in making ale  
__He had a mighty brew  
__Let's be merry, no need to worry  
Have a drink or two!_

_He guarded his recipe  
A man who stole it he slew  
Let's be merry, no need to worry  
Have a drink or two!_

The singing faded as the men disappeared around a corner. The traveler opened the door and the two of them entered. A cloud of smoke assaulted them upon their entry. The air was thick with the haze of pipe-smoke. The room was long and square. A stage was at the end of the room, opposite the door; it was currently empty. Three-legged, wooden tables were haphazardly scattered around the room. Most of them were occupied, the patrons drinking and singing merrily. Serving wenches scurried around, carrying trays laden with tankards and food.

The bar stood to the right of the door. The barmaid, a large, buxom woman with fiery red hair was busily pulling pints for the wenches to take into the crowd. As the two approached, her face lit up with a large smile.

"Welcome back, Hun!" she told the bookkeeper. "You haven't come to see me in a while."

"I've been busy."

"You work too hard, dear. You need to find yourself a nice girl and settle down."

"I'm not that old, Abby," chuckled the Keeper of Records, accepting the mug she handed him.

"And who's your friend there?" asked Abigail. "Take off your hood, luv, you must be dying of heat under there."

"I'd rather not," said the traveler.

"Go on, show us your face," she said, going for his hood. The traveler's hand snapped up, grabbing her wrist in an iron grip and wrenched it away from his hood. "Don't touch me," he hissed.

"What are you doing?" shouted the bookkeeper.

Momentarily shaken by the traveler's response, Abby broke free of his grip. "All right, all right," she muttered, rubbing her bruised wrist. "No need for that. I meant no harm."

"I don't like to be touched," said the traveler.

"Strange folks have their strange ways and it's not my place to criticize them," said the barmaid. "If you want to get a spot by the stage, the show should be starting soon."

"I don't picture you as a drinker," said the traveler as they sat at a table to the left of the stage.

"I love my books, but I also love a good brew," said the bookkeeper, taking a deep draught. The traveler said nothing, and took a gulp of his own. He happened to glance up at the stage and nearly choked at what he saw: a woman had just stepped onstage, however it was not the woman or the revealing outfit she wore that startled the traveler, it was the brown fox's tail that hung behind her and her brown, black-tipped, furry, fox ears.

_She's a half-breed!_

Half-breeds were the offspring of a human and a demon. While many of the demon lords had been destroyed in the last great exorcism, a handful of them were still at large; it was rumored they had all taken human form to avoid recognition and were living among mortals. Half-breeds were uncommon, but not unheard of. They were generally ostracized by society; they were reminders of darker times, when the demon lords ruled. However, the fox on the stage didn't seem shy about her parentage. As the men in the room began hooting and whistling at her she strutted along the stage, flaunting her features.

The traveler was unable to tear his eyes from the woman. He had never seen such beauty and was completely hypnotized by her as she danced about the stage, her tail whirling along behind her. He felt desire flare up within him upon catching a whiff of her scent. He was overcome with lust for the beautiful fox dancing on the stage. Her dance over, the fox blew a kiss at the audience before leaving.

The traveler sat there, still dumbfounded, staring at the empty stage, replaying the fox's dance in his mind. Who was this creature that had bewitched him? Their eyes had met for a brief second and that moment had seemed to last an eternity.

"Are you all right?" asked the Keeper of Records, shaking the traveler out of his daze. "The dancer's gone. You've been staring at that stage for a while now."

"Who was that?" asked the traveler.

"Who's asking?" said a female voice behind them. Turning, they saw the fox coming towards their table.

"I'm going to get a refill," said the bookkeeper, standing and walking off. The fox took his seat and the two of them sat in silence.

"You were staring at me during my performance," the fox finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"As was every other person in here, I assume," said the traveler.

"Yes, as a piece of meat; something pretty on display, but your gaze was different."

"If you don't like being viewed as an object, why do you do what you do?"

"I never said I minded the perverted stares. I have no illusions about what all those men think about when I'm on stage," said the fox.

"Don't you feel exploited?"

"I don't need to do this to live," said the fox. "I do it because I enjoy it, and if parading onstage for a few minutes is all it takes for men to empty their wallets, who's really being exploited here?"

The traveler nodded and took a sip of his drink. The uncomfortable silence returned. What was taking that damn bookkeeper so long?

"What's your name?" the fox asked. The traveler gave her a name. It wasn't his real one. At his request, she told him hers. The two of them continued to exchange small talk, but soon the fox's questions became more personal and the traveler found himself opening up to this strange woman he'd met only moments ago. He didn't tell her everything, of course, but enough to satisfy her curiosity. He did lie, especially on the questions regarding his past. That subject was not open to discussion with anybody.

Suddenly, a booming voice rang out through the pub, "What do you think you're doing with _my_ woman?"

To be continued…

Author's note: Well, it has been a while, hasn't it? I'd hoped to make this chapter extra-long (it currently sits at around 5,000 words), but I don't seem to be going anywhere with it, so I figured I'd upload a chunk of what I do have, let everyone know I'm still alive and haven't given up on this story.


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